A two days All India Seminar on Information and Communication Technology for Integrated Rural Development during February 11-12, 2012 is being organized by The Institutions of Engineers (India) in association with SIG-WNs & e-agriculture CSI, College of Technology and Engineering, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur (India) and Techno India NJR Institute of Technology, Udaipur.

Dr. Y.C. Bhatt, Chairman, The Institution of Engineers (India)- Udaipur Local Centre welcome the delegates and highlighted the activities of the institution of engineers.

A new activity like Engineers Mobility Forum has connected India and IEI is giving professional engineers membership to work in international organization in different countries outside India.

The Organizing Secretary Dr. Dharm Singh presented the two day’s seminar report and informed the house, in all the two days a total of three technical sessions excluding inaugural sessions will be organized. Almost 30 papers from across the country were selected for presentation in the seminar.

Prof. N. S. Rathore informs the house that the Government is going to plan special outlay for rural development. The developed techniques in technical institution can be transfer to rural area for planned integrated rural development.

Chief Guest of the inaugural session Er.R.N. Mathur said that all the participants showed tremendous response. Sharing ideas and sharing each other’s expertise is the real aim of such seminar. Guest of Honour Er. Madan Chhajed addresses the house about the fast development of Information and Communication Technology its application in the Rural Development domain like watershed development through GPS and records and activities of MNREGA.

Dr. Azimuddin Khan delivered keynote address on strengthening of rural livelihood through innovation of Information and Communication technologies. He had given insight of ICT growth for rural population.

He stressed upon to build Cloud based infrastructure to render ICT services in rural areas. The rural services include capacity building about education and health, income generation avenues through agriculture, entrepreneurship and outsourcing; IT enabled services like banking, market trading, e-governance, water management, energy and communication. These services can be provided by giving a kiosk based IT resources at village level.

Telemedicine is one of the technologies to provide the health services to rural population. E-sanjivani is one such initiative taken up CDAC recently in the Punjab and Haryana. Biometric ATM can also provide banking facility to rural segment with their local dialect. Mr. Khan stressed upon to make consolidation of Centralized effort at government level to implement ICT applications in rural areas. Also need was felt to improve the power availability in rural areas.

The function ended with vote of thanks Er. Syed Irshad Ali Honorary Secretary, The Institution of Engineers (India)- Udaipur Local Centre. Mrs. Kalpna Jain convened the programme.