84% villagers unaware of internet, says report

NEW DELHI: A seven-state survey that tracked rural internet awareness shows that about 84% were ignorant of the medium's existence. Of those who make use of the net, 85% access emails, 67% watch video and listen to music and 48% conduct educational research. Interestingly about 13% utilize the internet to know about latest farming techniques and 8% to find about fertilizers.

Primary research also shows that as compared to 2008, there is a 26.7% rise in the number of 'active' rural internet users in 2009: from 3.3 million in 2008 to 4.2 million in 2009. Those who have used the internet once or more in the past one month qualify as "active" users.

Released last month, the report is titled, Internet for Rural India (2009). It is based on research carried out from July to Sept 2009 across seven states: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh among 15,000 individuals in villages. Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International ( Indian Market Research Bureau) conducted the project. "The high percentage of people in rural India who are not aware of internet underlines the need for better infrastructure and schemes like Common Service Centres and State Wide Area Network schemes. Such schemes will go a long way in increasing internet penetration in rural areas," says Subho Ray, president IAMAI, a non-profit industry body.

According to Ray, CSC and cyber cafes are the main access points for rural people. "With the proliferation of initiatives as e-Choupal, Shakti and so on, those who live in rural India have started using the internet appreciably for agriculture-related aspects," says Ray.