Women entrepreneurship project: enabling self help groups with ICTs in Lahchauda village, Baghpat (UP)
Student name: Mr Saurabh Kumar Singh
Guide: Dr Sapna Narula
Year of completion: 2017
Host Organisation: Connecting Dreams Foundation
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Amit Tuteja
Abstract: We live in a technology-enabled world. In the rapidly diversifying use of technology,
ICT (Information and Communication Technology) has changed the way modern
societies are formed and has now become an integral part of social and economic
activities (e.g. social media and e-commerce). In development context the role of
ICT has been defined under the term ICT4D (ICT for Development), highlighting the
wide use of ICT in socio-economic domain.
In Indian context, the role of ICT has recently become highly political in nature. By
pushing the agenda of digital economy and use of biometric enabled social welfare
schemes, the use of ICT has become a priority in the political agenda of the current
administration.
ICTs can be an enabling and empowering agent largely in rural context. However,
the application of ICTs in rural India has not been harnessed to its full potential.
There is no doubt that in most of the developing countries, like India the urban and
rural dichotomy is complex and multi-dimensional. In order to understand such
disparity this study was conducted, under a major project with Connecting Dreams
Foundation (CDF).
The organization is working towards rural development with an aim to achieve
sustainable development by bridging the knowledge gaps through technology. It
works on three broad areas: health, education and livelihood. With the innovative
ICT solution of Apna Tech Tree, it enables the youth and women of the villages by
giving them the access to technology and information.
This study was done under one of the pilot projects in Lahchauda Village of
Baghpat region in western UP. The focus of the study was the existing WSHGs
(Women Self Help Groups) and their existing entrepreneurial practices.
The study has been divided into five parts; the first one sets the foundation of the
study by giving the background of the study area. The second section covers the
objectives and the methodology used for the research followed by the analysis of the
collected data and the research is concluded in the last section with
recommendations.
Keywords: Self Help Groups (SHGs), Information and Communication Technology
(ICT), Rural Development.
