Dear Editor, Expansion and expansion of Digital India will not only be limited to urban digitalisation but will also have to reach out to every villager with strong infrastructure. Statistics indicate that about half of Gram Panchayats were connected to the high-speed network two years ago. Since most of India’s rural population is involved in agricultural activities, a large area of employment and entrepreneurship can be explored and tested in agriculture from an inclusive perspective. Digital entrepreneurs are also emerging in the villages. On August 15, 2021, the Prime Minister had directed the Government to provide more than 80 million women in the villages who are engaged in productive work on a large scale in association with SHGs and to find markets in the country and abroad. The e-commerce platform will create the above context is also part of the same statement It may be recalled that by June 30, 2021, under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana -National Rural Livelihood Mission, about 7 million women self help groups have been formed across the country with over 80 million women involved, according to a survey by the Internet and Mobile Association. According to a report, by 2020, the number of Internet users in the village had reached 300 million. On an average, every third villager has access to the Internet. These figures help to understand that it is possible to give rural products a strong foothold in the online market through digitization. Digitization is a stage where distances do not mean distances but expectations are met. The country is currently moving forward on the mantra of Vocal for Local, which must have a digital platform. Only through digitization can local products be made accessible to far flung areas and abroad. Not only this, it will also give a new impetus to the rural digital entrepreneur. It is estimated that around 90 million Rural families to be brought under the purview of DAY-NRLM. The question is, what are the other aspects that are essential to enable digital women entrepreneurs in the village? Is it enough to provide finance, skills and markets to the villagers? There is also the question of whether the rural system, which is running on the test of livelihood, is manipulating the demands of the times with multiple strengths. Slogans for strengthening the economy are being raised. However, the market for the sale of local goods is not fully available and even if it is available, they are facing massive competition for the right price of the product and the promotion of it as a brand. Connecting to digital services at affordable and accessible rates is no less of a challenge today. Agriculture and farming are at the core of the Indian economy. Self-help groups that have disintegrated and are facing financial crisis also need to be looked at. Vocal for Local’s slogan has risen sharply in Corona times. Competing local products and adapting to the global market is a challenge at the moment but the confidence to be better cannot be diminished. Their reach from the commodity industry to the artistic products is reaching the masses due to this digitization although it is a perplexing question whether marketing policy cannot be given a big foothold by targeting the big consumers in rural areas. There are many such companies Those who are making huge profits by branding rural products as rural entrepreneurs will obviously be in a difficult position to achieve sustainable development as they are confined to the village market. Reaching out to six and a half lakh villages would provide a wide range of facilities for dissemination of products. Although it is a market that will be better, it will stay there permanently. Years ago, the World Bank had said that if India’s educated women took the form of workers, India’s growth rate would increase by 4 per cent. The goal is to make 5 trillion in the economy by 2024, which is already estimated to be possible with a decade of growth, and there is no doubt that statistics are not possible without female workers. Village labour is cheap but struggles with lack of resources due to financial constraints. If those who buy big malls and big expensive brands in the market expand their needs further, then rural entrepreneurs will not only be financially strong but also help in fulfilling half the definition of good governance. Vijay Garg.
