Jharkhand is situated in eastern part of India. Being rich in natural resources and minerals, the... more Jharkhand is situated in eastern part of India. Being rich in natural resources and minerals, the state is one of the most deprived and underdeveloped in the country. It stands second third lowest in per capita terms and second highest in poverty. Over one-fourth population of the state population is tribal and agriculture still has the main source of employment. Hence, the main concern of the policy makers and other stakeholders is generation of more employment opportunities in non-farm sector and reduction of poverty in the state. However, there are very few studies available to assess the present status of these two important issues. Therefore this paper attempts to explore the present employment and poverty status of Jharkhand. Introduction: Jharkhand is situated in the eastern part of India bordering the state of Bihar, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Chhatisgarh. It was formed as a separate state on 15 th November 2000 and consists of 24 districts. Despite heterogeneity in terms of resources as well as of socioeconomic characteristics, its population shared some uniformity in terms of nature and extent of deprivation and development (World Bank, 2007). The region is well endowed with natural resources and significantly urbanised (24%) and industrialised. Thus it generates ample economic opportunities, which are harnessed by many people but these opportunities failed to percolate down to the poor and marginalised people (HDR, 2011). Though mining and industrial sectors made notable strides, rural economy in general and agriculture sector in particular remained stagnant over a period of time. Despite the fact that per capita NSDP of the state is high in comparison to many other poor states of the country. The eastern states fares well in many other development indicators, still a large section of its population live a miserable life (Singh et al. 2012). The percentage of population below poverty line is around 37 per cent per cent, which is second highest in the country and next only to Chhattisgarh (GoI, 2012). A sizeable proportion of its population is tribal. According to the 2011 population census over 26.2 percent of its population is tribal, which constitute more than 40 percent of the population in seven districts namely Ranchi, Kunti, Lohardaga, Gumla, West Singhbhum, Dumka and Pakur respectively. The state is marked by low agricultural production and productivity, but is rich in mineral and forest resources. Though per capita income of the state (Rs 46,131) is less than half the all India average (Rs 98,983/-) but it is higher than Bihar (Rs 36,143) and Uttar Pradesh (Rs 36,250) states (Jharkhand Economic Survey,
South Asia has experienced second highest growth rate during the last three decades in the world.... more South Asia has experienced second highest growth rate during the last three decades in the world. It is argued that the structural transformation from low productive employment to high productive employment with women's participation in the economy is essential for the development of the economy. This paper explores whether this high growth rate over more than two decades in South Asian economies has transformed the structure of economy and whether it has been able to create additional and productive employment opportunities particularly for women. The finding shows that structural transformation from agriculture (low productive jobs) to industry or services (high productive jobs) for women is very slow in South Asian countries. Women in the most of countries in South Asia are still largely involved in agriculture, informal sector jobs and unpaid family activities, while women participation in industries and services over the period is rising but apart from creating more productive jobs in order to provide opportunities for the large number of educated young women entering in the labour market in the coming years. In addition, a suitable women environment such as safety, transport facilities, crèche and facility of break to start family and return to work are need of the hour to encourage more women participation in the labour market in services and industrial sector jobs.
Over the period, number of cybercafés has shrunk in urban India and increased in towns in India.
... more Over the period, number of cybercafés has shrunk in urban India and increased in towns in India. Consequently, people in towns have started recognising the importance of cybercafés and accessing information on education, income and welfare programmes from such public access centres. In this context, it is essential to understand from the policy perspective that whether these cybercafés are improving the well being of the masses living in towns and rural areas. The study based on two midsize towns, Firozabad and Bhadohi in India find that majority of cybercafé users belonged to upper social group, highly qualified, young male and students. They were regular users and visit cybercafés for gathering information relate to mainly education and employment. They are able to achieve their life-goals but challenges of slow internet speed, limited power availability, lack of enough computers and space at cybercafés limits its usage.
India did not participate in the landline phone revolution but has seen an unprecedented growth i... more India did not participate in the landline phone revolution but has seen an unprecedented growth in mobile phones, with over 919 million subscribers by the end of March 2012, making it second only to China in this sphere. The tele-density in rural India, where nearly 69 percent of the total population lives, grew from below 1 percent in 2000 to around 40 percent in 2012. In these areas, people face several developmental constraints, such as low literacy, poor healthcare facilities, low per capita income, a high degree of poverty and problems related to poor infrastructure. Mobile phones can facilitate need-based and user-centric information and services at a cost that is affordable to India's rural population, which was hitherto unreachable.
India did not participate in the landline phone revolution but has seen an unprecedented growth i... more India did not participate in the landline phone revolution but has seen an unprecedented growth in mobile phones, with over 919 million subscribers by the end of March 2012, making it second only to China in this sphere. The tele-density in rural India, where nearly 69 percent of the total population lives, grew from below 1 percent in 2000 to around 40 percent in 2012. In these areas, people face several developmental constraints, such as low literacy, poor healthcare facilities, low per capita income, a high degree of poverty and problems related to poor infrastructure. Mobile phones can facilitate need-based and user-centric information and services at a cost that is affordable to India's rural population, which was hitherto unreachable.
The well-being of children is a critical component of human development. India has the world’s la... more The well-being of children is a critical component of human development. India has the world’s largest child population. Ensuring that children have access to adequate nutrition, good health, and education, and also that the households they live in have access to basic earnings, adequate food consumption, shelter, sanitation, and clean water, constitutes a minimum core set of material and non-material needs. The inequalities and deprivations faced by children highlight their vulnerabilities, and addressing these deprivations is of concern both nationally and globally. The need to draw attention to children as a distinct group stems from their non-inclusion in most policy discourses at the macro level. Also, the conflation of children’s development indicators with that of the households they belong to as well as the strong association drawn between material poverty and deprivations faced by children is another critical factor highlighting the need to examine child poverty dimensions separately.
It is argued that the ICT sector offers greater ease of access to employment for women than tradi... more It is argued that the ICT sector offers greater ease of access to employment for women than traditional sectors. This is reflected in the high representation of women employees in the ICT sector in India. Considering the importance of the ICT sector in India, policy makers and industry leaders are continuously debating on women’s work and working conditions in this sector. In this paper an attempt has been made to understand the critical issue by using a modified version of the decent work framework and discussing both favourable and unfavourable results of women’s employment in the Indian ICT sector.
We are happy that the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), Government of India gave us this ... more We are happy that the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), Government of India gave us this opportunity to conduct a study based on secondary data sources regarding the socioeconomic profile of the four notified minority communities. As agreed upon in our discussions with the NCM prior to the initiation of the study, the report provides a detailed quantitative account of the four notified minority communities -Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Parsis -using all available information. The terms of reference for the study were as follows: 1. The Socio-economic study will be done in respect of the four notified minority communities i.e. Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, including Neo Buddhists and Parsis. 2. The study will cover the educational, economic and social status of the four minority communities apart from their hygiene, health and religion related problems. 3. The study will take into account the three strata of the four minority communities for the assessment of their socio-economic and religious status i.e. the elites, the middle class and lowest strata including artisans and labourers. 4. The study will highlight the problematic areas and suggest viable measures to resolve the problems of the minorities so that the minorities can walk abreast with other privileged communities in all walks of life in due course. 5. The study will include detailed recommendations based on their findings on the socioeconomic and educational backwardness of the minorities. The Institute for Human Development (IHD) research team attempted to provide a comprehensive account and address all the above stated dimensions subject to the data availability. Information has been collated and analysed from unit records of National Sample Survey (NSS), Census and National Family Health Survey (NFHS). We hope that the report will be useful for the NCM in taking its mandate further. We look forward to your comments and suggestions on the report. With warm regards, Yours sincerely,
ABSTRACT India did not participate in the landline phone revolution but has seen an unprecedented... more ABSTRACT India did not participate in the landline phone revolution but has seen an unprecedented growth in mobile phones, with over 919 million subscribers by the end of March 2012, making it second only people face several developmental constraints, such as low literacy, poor healthcare facilities, low per capita income, a high degree of poverty and problems related to poor infrastructure. Mobile phones can facilitate need-based and user-centric information and services at a cost that is affordable to India’s rural population, which was hitherto unreachable. Given this context, this study explores the socioeconomic impact of mobile phone usage in rural areas on the basis of a field survey conducted in two states of India: Punjab – a relatively developed state – and Bihar – a relatively underdeveloped state. The field survey revealed that mobile phones helped users gather information for both agricultural and non-agricultural purposes, as well as enabling them to keep in touch with their relatives and migrant family members. Mobile users benefit by obtaining timely information on a variety of subjects, including on employment opportunities and higher education for their children, by transferring funds and even by calling family members during emergencies. However, there is a marked difference in the usage of mobile phones among those in Punjab compared with those in Bihar. In developed areas, people were found to be early users of new technologies, reflected also in high usage of mobile value-added services (MVAS) and innovative uses like money transfer and agricultural information in Punjab. Meanwhile, a major and somewhat neglected dimension of mobile phone usage is that making communication substantially cheaper promotes social interaction. Multi-locational households with at least one migrant worker are increasing in numbers. Cheap mobile phones help such households keep in touch and remit money. Social relations can also cross traditional boundaries. The study also reveals that there are many innovations in the use of mobile phones, often carried out by users of different kinds, pointing to the importance of users in innovation processes.
This paper attempts to address the demand side strategies of child workers in the traditional zar... more This paper attempts to address the demand side strategies of child workers in the traditional zardosi industry based on a primary survey. The detailed analysis reveals that child workers constitute a critical factor in determining the productivity and profitability due to nature of work in the industry. However, exploitation of child workers is also reported in the industry with low wages and longer hours of work. Overall, demand side analysis clearly shows that the presence of child workers plays a significant role in determining the profitability of the workshops. Training and skill development with schooling for children needs special attention so they can later enter into the labour market with skills in hand, which would also enhance their bargaining power. Enforcement of minimum wages and legislative provisions related to working conditions, employment security, etc., need to be considered. Awareness and policy interventions regarding the importance of education and skill training of children to parents would be an attempt in the direction of complete abolition of child workers.
Economic liberalization has ushered in rapid changes in the service sector. Knowledge-based indus... more Economic liberalization has ushered in rapid changes in the service sector. Knowledge-based industry is emerging as an important component of the service sector. The knowledge economy creates, disseminates, and uses knowledge to enhance its growth and development. One of the major functional pillars of this economy is information and communication technology (ICT). ICT continues to be a dominant sector in the overall growth of the Indian economy. India has emerged as a major global provider of information technology (IT) software and services and even in the recent phenomenon of IT-enabled services-business processing outsourcing (ITES-BPO).
This paper analyses employment conditions in the new emerging service sector, viz. Information an... more This paper analyses employment conditions in the new emerging service sector, viz. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services in India. The paper addresses the current debate in the Indian services sector that there has been a structural shift in employment away from the traditional to the modern sectors, which is leading to more productive and improved employment conditions. The modern service sectors, that is the information technology –(IT) and telecom sectors, are providing better employment conditions to selected well-educated urban youth but are unable to attract the masses of the country. This shows the limitation of employment generation in the service sector industry and calls for policy correction to expand the benefits of such employment to the rural masses.
Over the years mobile phone services emerged as one of the driving forces for overall economic de... more Over the years mobile phone services emerged as one of the driving forces for overall economic development in a nation. They are also one of the prime support services needed for rapid growth and modernization of various services of the economy. Indian government recognizes this fact, has taken several initiatives and made it one of the fastest growth sector. But in recent years, the sector appears to be slowing down and concerns are raised about declining revenue, profit margin, investment and rising debt of the operators. It is argued that in short-run, cost-competitiveness can drive the growth, but in the long run, the efficiency improvement and innovative strategies needs to adopt to stay in the market. This paper attempts to evaluate performance of the mobile phone operators by comparing their relative efficiency by using ratios, partial productivity and data envelopment analysis for the period 2004 to 2013. The finding provides some useful information and provides suggestions for performance improvement.
Jharkhand is situated in eastern part of India. Being rich in natural resources and minerals, the... more Jharkhand is situated in eastern part of India. Being rich in natural resources and minerals, the state is one of the most deprived and underdeveloped in the country. It stands second third lowest in per capita terms and second highest in poverty. Over one-fourth population of the state population is tribal and agriculture still has the main source of employment. Hence, the main concern of the policy makers and other stakeholders is generation of more employment opportunities in non-farm sector and reduction of poverty in the state. However, there are very few studies available to assess the present status of these two important issues. Therefore this paper attempts to explore the present employment and poverty status of Jharkhand. Introduction: Jharkhand is situated in the eastern part of India bordering the state of Bihar, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Chhatisgarh. It was formed as a separate state on 15 th November 2000 and consists of 24 districts. Despite heterogeneity in terms of resources as well as of socioeconomic characteristics, its population shared some uniformity in terms of nature and extent of deprivation and development (World Bank, 2007). The region is well endowed with natural resources and significantly urbanised (24%) and industrialised. Thus it generates ample economic opportunities, which are harnessed by many people but these opportunities failed to percolate down to the poor and marginalised people (HDR, 2011). Though mining and industrial sectors made notable strides, rural economy in general and agriculture sector in particular remained stagnant over a period of time. Despite the fact that per capita NSDP of the state is high in comparison to many other poor states of the country. The eastern states fares well in many other development indicators, still a large section of its population live a miserable life (Singh et al. 2012). The percentage of population below poverty line is around 37 per cent per cent, which is second highest in the country and next only to Chhattisgarh (GoI, 2012). A sizeable proportion of its population is tribal. According to the 2011 population census over 26.2 percent of its population is tribal, which constitute more than 40 percent of the population in seven districts namely Ranchi, Kunti, Lohardaga, Gumla, West Singhbhum, Dumka and Pakur respectively. The state is marked by low agricultural production and productivity, but is rich in mineral and forest resources. Though per capita income of the state (Rs 46,131) is less than half the all India average (Rs 98,983/-) but it is higher than Bihar (Rs 36,143) and Uttar Pradesh (Rs 36,250) states (Jharkhand Economic Survey,
South Asia has experienced second highest growth rate during the last three decades in the world.... more South Asia has experienced second highest growth rate during the last three decades in the world. It is argued that the structural transformation from low productive employment to high productive employment with women's participation in the economy is essential for the development of the economy. This paper explores whether this high growth rate over more than two decades in South Asian economies has transformed the structure of economy and whether it has been able to create additional and productive employment opportunities particularly for women. The finding shows that structural transformation from agriculture (low productive jobs) to industry or services (high productive jobs) for women is very slow in South Asian countries. Women in the most of countries in South Asia are still largely involved in agriculture, informal sector jobs and unpaid family activities, while women participation in industries and services over the period is rising but apart from creating more productive jobs in order to provide opportunities for the large number of educated young women entering in the labour market in the coming years. In addition, a suitable women environment such as safety, transport facilities, crèche and facility of break to start family and return to work are need of the hour to encourage more women participation in the labour market in services and industrial sector jobs.
Over the period, number of cybercafés has shrunk in urban India and increased in towns in India.
... more Over the period, number of cybercafés has shrunk in urban India and increased in towns in India. Consequently, people in towns have started recognising the importance of cybercafés and accessing information on education, income and welfare programmes from such public access centres. In this context, it is essential to understand from the policy perspective that whether these cybercafés are improving the well being of the masses living in towns and rural areas. The study based on two midsize towns, Firozabad and Bhadohi in India find that majority of cybercafé users belonged to upper social group, highly qualified, young male and students. They were regular users and visit cybercafés for gathering information relate to mainly education and employment. They are able to achieve their life-goals but challenges of slow internet speed, limited power availability, lack of enough computers and space at cybercafés limits its usage.
India did not participate in the landline phone revolution but has seen an unprecedented growth i... more India did not participate in the landline phone revolution but has seen an unprecedented growth in mobile phones, with over 919 million subscribers by the end of March 2012, making it second only to China in this sphere. The tele-density in rural India, where nearly 69 percent of the total population lives, grew from below 1 percent in 2000 to around 40 percent in 2012. In these areas, people face several developmental constraints, such as low literacy, poor healthcare facilities, low per capita income, a high degree of poverty and problems related to poor infrastructure. Mobile phones can facilitate need-based and user-centric information and services at a cost that is affordable to India's rural population, which was hitherto unreachable.
India did not participate in the landline phone revolution but has seen an unprecedented growth i... more India did not participate in the landline phone revolution but has seen an unprecedented growth in mobile phones, with over 919 million subscribers by the end of March 2012, making it second only to China in this sphere. The tele-density in rural India, where nearly 69 percent of the total population lives, grew from below 1 percent in 2000 to around 40 percent in 2012. In these areas, people face several developmental constraints, such as low literacy, poor healthcare facilities, low per capita income, a high degree of poverty and problems related to poor infrastructure. Mobile phones can facilitate need-based and user-centric information and services at a cost that is affordable to India's rural population, which was hitherto unreachable.
The well-being of children is a critical component of human development. India has the world’s la... more The well-being of children is a critical component of human development. India has the world’s largest child population. Ensuring that children have access to adequate nutrition, good health, and education, and also that the households they live in have access to basic earnings, adequate food consumption, shelter, sanitation, and clean water, constitutes a minimum core set of material and non-material needs. The inequalities and deprivations faced by children highlight their vulnerabilities, and addressing these deprivations is of concern both nationally and globally. The need to draw attention to children as a distinct group stems from their non-inclusion in most policy discourses at the macro level. Also, the conflation of children’s development indicators with that of the households they belong to as well as the strong association drawn between material poverty and deprivations faced by children is another critical factor highlighting the need to examine child poverty dimensions separately.
It is argued that the ICT sector offers greater ease of access to employment for women than tradi... more It is argued that the ICT sector offers greater ease of access to employment for women than traditional sectors. This is reflected in the high representation of women employees in the ICT sector in India. Considering the importance of the ICT sector in India, policy makers and industry leaders are continuously debating on women’s work and working conditions in this sector. In this paper an attempt has been made to understand the critical issue by using a modified version of the decent work framework and discussing both favourable and unfavourable results of women’s employment in the Indian ICT sector.
We are happy that the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), Government of India gave us this ... more We are happy that the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), Government of India gave us this opportunity to conduct a study based on secondary data sources regarding the socioeconomic profile of the four notified minority communities. As agreed upon in our discussions with the NCM prior to the initiation of the study, the report provides a detailed quantitative account of the four notified minority communities -Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Parsis -using all available information. The terms of reference for the study were as follows: 1. The Socio-economic study will be done in respect of the four notified minority communities i.e. Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, including Neo Buddhists and Parsis. 2. The study will cover the educational, economic and social status of the four minority communities apart from their hygiene, health and religion related problems. 3. The study will take into account the three strata of the four minority communities for the assessment of their socio-economic and religious status i.e. the elites, the middle class and lowest strata including artisans and labourers. 4. The study will highlight the problematic areas and suggest viable measures to resolve the problems of the minorities so that the minorities can walk abreast with other privileged communities in all walks of life in due course. 5. The study will include detailed recommendations based on their findings on the socioeconomic and educational backwardness of the minorities. The Institute for Human Development (IHD) research team attempted to provide a comprehensive account and address all the above stated dimensions subject to the data availability. Information has been collated and analysed from unit records of National Sample Survey (NSS), Census and National Family Health Survey (NFHS). We hope that the report will be useful for the NCM in taking its mandate further. We look forward to your comments and suggestions on the report. With warm regards, Yours sincerely,
ABSTRACT India did not participate in the landline phone revolution but has seen an unprecedented... more ABSTRACT India did not participate in the landline phone revolution but has seen an unprecedented growth in mobile phones, with over 919 million subscribers by the end of March 2012, making it second only people face several developmental constraints, such as low literacy, poor healthcare facilities, low per capita income, a high degree of poverty and problems related to poor infrastructure. Mobile phones can facilitate need-based and user-centric information and services at a cost that is affordable to India’s rural population, which was hitherto unreachable. Given this context, this study explores the socioeconomic impact of mobile phone usage in rural areas on the basis of a field survey conducted in two states of India: Punjab – a relatively developed state – and Bihar – a relatively underdeveloped state. The field survey revealed that mobile phones helped users gather information for both agricultural and non-agricultural purposes, as well as enabling them to keep in touch with their relatives and migrant family members. Mobile users benefit by obtaining timely information on a variety of subjects, including on employment opportunities and higher education for their children, by transferring funds and even by calling family members during emergencies. However, there is a marked difference in the usage of mobile phones among those in Punjab compared with those in Bihar. In developed areas, people were found to be early users of new technologies, reflected also in high usage of mobile value-added services (MVAS) and innovative uses like money transfer and agricultural information in Punjab. Meanwhile, a major and somewhat neglected dimension of mobile phone usage is that making communication substantially cheaper promotes social interaction. Multi-locational households with at least one migrant worker are increasing in numbers. Cheap mobile phones help such households keep in touch and remit money. Social relations can also cross traditional boundaries. The study also reveals that there are many innovations in the use of mobile phones, often carried out by users of different kinds, pointing to the importance of users in innovation processes.
This paper attempts to address the demand side strategies of child workers in the traditional zar... more This paper attempts to address the demand side strategies of child workers in the traditional zardosi industry based on a primary survey. The detailed analysis reveals that child workers constitute a critical factor in determining the productivity and profitability due to nature of work in the industry. However, exploitation of child workers is also reported in the industry with low wages and longer hours of work. Overall, demand side analysis clearly shows that the presence of child workers plays a significant role in determining the profitability of the workshops. Training and skill development with schooling for children needs special attention so they can later enter into the labour market with skills in hand, which would also enhance their bargaining power. Enforcement of minimum wages and legislative provisions related to working conditions, employment security, etc., need to be considered. Awareness and policy interventions regarding the importance of education and skill training of children to parents would be an attempt in the direction of complete abolition of child workers.
Economic liberalization has ushered in rapid changes in the service sector. Knowledge-based indus... more Economic liberalization has ushered in rapid changes in the service sector. Knowledge-based industry is emerging as an important component of the service sector. The knowledge economy creates, disseminates, and uses knowledge to enhance its growth and development. One of the major functional pillars of this economy is information and communication technology (ICT). ICT continues to be a dominant sector in the overall growth of the Indian economy. India has emerged as a major global provider of information technology (IT) software and services and even in the recent phenomenon of IT-enabled services-business processing outsourcing (ITES-BPO).
This paper analyses employment conditions in the new emerging service sector, viz. Information an... more This paper analyses employment conditions in the new emerging service sector, viz. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services in India. The paper addresses the current debate in the Indian services sector that there has been a structural shift in employment away from the traditional to the modern sectors, which is leading to more productive and improved employment conditions. The modern service sectors, that is the information technology –(IT) and telecom sectors, are providing better employment conditions to selected well-educated urban youth but are unable to attract the masses of the country. This shows the limitation of employment generation in the service sector industry and calls for policy correction to expand the benefits of such employment to the rural masses.
Over the years mobile phone services emerged as one of the driving forces for overall economic de... more Over the years mobile phone services emerged as one of the driving forces for overall economic development in a nation. They are also one of the prime support services needed for rapid growth and modernization of various services of the economy. Indian government recognizes this fact, has taken several initiatives and made it one of the fastest growth sector. But in recent years, the sector appears to be slowing down and concerns are raised about declining revenue, profit margin, investment and rising debt of the operators. It is argued that in short-run, cost-competitiveness can drive the growth, but in the long run, the efficiency improvement and innovative strategies needs to adopt to stay in the market. This paper attempts to evaluate performance of the mobile phone operators by comparing their relative efficiency by using ratios, partial productivity and data envelopment analysis for the period 2004 to 2013. The finding provides some useful information and provides suggestions for performance improvement.
India is home to the second largest population in the world with 37 percent children below 18 yea... more India is home to the second largest population in the world with 37 percent children below 18 years of age (Census, 2011). Children from backward and marginalized families are not able to exercise their basic rights of education, health care, safety and security from an early age. This study revealed that an Indian girl child aged 1-5 years is 75 percent more likely to die than an Indian boy compared to 22 percent male more compared to female in developing world as a whole. This phenomenon may be higher in case of vulnerable children staying in slums, unauthorized colonies and streets in urban metros like the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. This study is an attempt to make out the impact of the interventions made by Butterflies in the lives of girl children and changes in the outreach of the organization over the years. It has initiated a number of focused interventions for vulnerable children to empower them with knowledge and skills necessary to protect their rights as children and provide them necessary support and assistance for re-instatement in their families where possible and help them to develop as respected and productive citizens. The chapters in this study bring out the positives changes that happened in the lives of girl children and suggests various measures that Butterflies has to adopt in the future.
Uploads
Papers by balwant mehta
Consequently, people in towns have started recognising the importance of cybercafés and accessing
information on education, income and welfare programmes from such public access centres. In this
context, it is essential to understand from the policy perspective that whether these cybercafés are
improving the well being of the masses living in towns and rural areas. The study based on two
midsize towns, Firozabad and Bhadohi in India find that majority of cybercafé users belonged to
upper social group, highly qualified, young male and students. They were regular users and visit
cybercafés for gathering information relate to mainly education and employment. They are able to
achieve their life-goals but challenges of slow internet speed, limited power availability, lack of
enough computers and space at cybercafés limits its usage.
Consequently, people in towns have started recognising the importance of cybercafés and accessing
information on education, income and welfare programmes from such public access centres. In this
context, it is essential to understand from the policy perspective that whether these cybercafés are
improving the well being of the masses living in towns and rural areas. The study based on two
midsize towns, Firozabad and Bhadohi in India find that majority of cybercafé users belonged to
upper social group, highly qualified, young male and students. They were regular users and visit
cybercafés for gathering information relate to mainly education and employment. They are able to
achieve their life-goals but challenges of slow internet speed, limited power availability, lack of
enough computers and space at cybercafés limits its usage.