Empowering Rural People
With Information

INFORMATION is that human asset which can be used for the improvement of human conditions if the process of dissemination to its users is effective. In fact, information of various kinds is of intrinsic value for the overall development of the people if proper retrieval is ensured.

Although we are experiencing an information explosion, it has hardly touched the rural life.

Information empowerment has the highest utility and value in the rural areas where people empowered with information can bring about positive change in their living condition.

The electronic media contributes considerably to bring awareness. However, its development lies in the availability of accurate information. If it combines its awareness with adequate specialized information for a development project, its confidence and importance will increase and real empowerment of information can be achieved.

A review of literature from 1950 to date indicates that each community needs a variety of informations. However, most libraries so far available are inadequately equipped to help its users towards a positive goal.

Although a few researchers have attempted to find out the information needs of the rural people, no significant study has yet been undertaken to identify and assess the information needs of the people in different social and economic contexts.

Today, rural people are semi-literate, who are partially aware or unaware of the plans and programmes of the government and other agencies. Due to the low level of communication and interaction between government authorities and the rural people and absence of proper as well as systematic documentation, the information that reaches the rural folk is usually misinformation.

Television and electronic media have tried to move people away from their real world into a system of cultural values totally unrelated to day-to-day reality. Confined mostly to entertainment programmes, these media in rural areas reduce the reach and impact of various development programmes.

Actually a rural community is much exposed to diverse activities aimed at the improvement of their lives. From agriculture to small industries, the people have the potentiality to gain knowledge and use it in their daily life if a proper channel of information is developed effectively.

For example, the rural community is not well exposed to modern procedures of pisciculture. However, wealthy people, who are well informed about pisciculture, have reaped adequate benefits from it.

Most rural farmers are not well informed about the importance of soil testing in order to know what type of fertiliser is best suited to their land for high yield. Also, they have no information about the marketing of their products.

Till now, there is a wide communication gap between the rural community and the modern world. Hardly is there any programmes which, has yet been prepared to enrich the rural people with a variety of information.

In reality, rural people require information on various schemes and projects run by the government and other agencies; facilities for soil testing, horticulture and livestock rearing; measures available for family planning; loans available to farmers for agriculture and allied activities from different banks and financial institutions; and health services.

There are several other subject areas that require timely dissemination of information to the rural people.

Raising the level of participation of the rural community is the basic prerequisite for getting tangible outcomes from the programmes undertaken by the government or otherwise. Information resources stand at the apex of others due to its pervasive use in maintaining high quality services to rural people.

Since rural people need the latest information to improve their quality of work for better products, special emphasis should be given to the creation of a suitable information environment.

In general, information environment consists of two significant facets of provision of information to rural communities. First, the condition under which information is exchanged to and from the rural community. Second the behavioral pattern of rural people in getting and using information.

Actually, real empowerment of the rural people for their overall development is possible by providing necessary information service to them this is probable by establishing information service centres at appropriate places.

The objectives of the information centres must be defined and implemented to suit the basic principles of empowering the rural people with sufficient information.

Two interacting forces that work towards developing an information centre are social and economic aspects and information-seeking behavior of the rural community. These must be studied well before setting up such centres.

As the information centres need to develop strategic issues of its organisational framework to ensure the maximum satisfaction of the rural users through varied information services, the professionals managing the centres must study the information needs of the users. The information should be related to local needs and cultural environment.

An information network among local libraries should be established on a priority basis. For this purpose, the annual budget of the local government should provide sufficient financial support for these information centres.

A system approach to the organisation of the community information centres is essential for effective retrieval of information. Since one information centre at a village level may not be able to provide information to the people scattered over a long distance to all villages, it would be required at every level of the rural administration in order to provide information at the doorstep for its optimum utilisation.

At the village level, it is necessary to establish an information centre under which there should be a sub-centre located at a central place for a cluster of villages, especially at easily accessible local markets.

Tourism Sector Waiting For Revival

By Mohan K.C.

WHEN the peace talks between the government and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) kicked off, there was every hope that calm would return to the country in no time. But all hopes have been belied. The years of devastation and terror created by the Maoist mainly in the western part of the country has not brought about any good. The past six years has not been good to any sector of the country.

Agriculture has suffered to a great extent. The mainstay of the majority of people in the country has made Nepal a net importer of foodgrains. The image of an exporter has already been eroded. To say that most of the people, maybe 85 or 90 per cent of the population, depend on agriculture for their livelihood cannot be justified. But that is the reality in the practical sense.

What about any other sector that plays important role in the economy of the country. It’s tourism without doubt. Since the opening up of the doors of the country for tourism, there has been a gradual rise in the number of visitors to the country, barring some years. It was a sector that banked on the country’s cultural, religious and natural resources besides the friendly, happy and smiling Nepalese. All that created a Shangrila of Nepal. No visitor returned without a broad smile on their face reiterating their intention to come back again.

Is all that changing? That’s a question tormenting those who are very much connected with the hospitality sector. The land of the highest peak, birthplace of Lord Buddha, where co-existence of all religions is a way of life, unique flora and fauna and what not is what Nepal has been visualised by the outsiders. These attractions had been enough to attract hordes of camera wielding os rucksack carrying tourists into the country over the years. It is half a century since the inflow of visitors to Nepal started. There was progress by leaps and bound in the years that have gone by.

The Visit Nepal Year 1998 could be in a way called a watershed in Nepal’s tourism history. Of course, the exact target of attracting 500,000 tourists did not materialise. Yet the figures hovered somewhere around it. Despite
some shortcomings as to how the campaign was carried forward, there was some amount of complacency that Nepal had much to offer as attractions to the tourist.

But the following years till the autumn season of this year, disappointment is seen. In 2000, the figures of tourists arriving dipped to the lowest posting a negative growth of 10 per cent. Of course, this did not happen of its own accord. There were a number of events and situations that saw tourism suffering. In the aftermath of the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane fewer Indian tourists came here. The political instability marked by the frequent bandhs and strikes was one way to keep the foreigners away. The political parties resorted to such disruptions of normal public life that hampered with the free movement of tourists even within the country. It was than, natural that many tourists held themselves from making Nepal their destination. Even those who were here during the time flew out as early as possible.

Even now, when the season has started the arrivals are not upto the mark. It is said that it is more than 25 per cent below the figures of arrivals for last years during the first half of this year. This is quite sad for a sector where there is heavy investment and thousands of people directly or indirectly depend on it. The present downfall in arrivals is more on the events that followed the attack by terrorists on the twin World Trade Centre on September 11 of this year. The War on Terrorism has begun with bombings of Afghanistan. The state of insecurity that the travelers feel has been reflected by fewer numbers of visitors arriving here for holidays or adventure. This particular state cannot be changed of our own will. Yet, the government has to come up with short as well as long-term measures to sustain tourism that is a major contributor to oiling the national economy.

It is not an easy time to address all the problems as the same reduction in tourism sector is evident in other countries as well. However, it is time the government formulate plans and programmes that can do to attract more tourists even during these hard times. It is joint effort of the private sector and the government. The government cannot keep its ears and eyes closed. They need help and cooperation from the private sector too if both join hands in earnestness, improvement will come about gradually though some exceptions arising on the international front cannot be denied.

Had A Boy!

OH, you’ve become a father of a son! Hearty congratulation to you! With these utterances, many friends and neighbours expressed their joy or surprise, after this scribe became a child’s father. As if a son being born was a great victory, the facial expression of some of them indicated that their emphasis was more on "son" than on the congratulation itself.

For myself it was a bit shocking to know that a sense of gender disparity still prevails strongly not only among the uneducated mass but also in the so-called educated and learned ones.

This is not the end of the story. In this regard, this scribe has some sour experience during the time he went back to the village for celebrating Dashain. There was not only a sense of gender disparity, but also jealousy and envy in the form of congratulations by mothers whose daughter-in-laws had given birth to daughters. Chhora ko bau bhais? Their expression and manners hinted that there was something mysterious behind their mind. Anyway, I accepted their cryptic message in the form of congratulation.

The irony here, in our society, is that it is the women who have mostly suffered from the inferiority complex if they fail to give birth to a male child. In many cases, the husband is content on what they have. No matter whether it’s a son or a daughter. For many, it may be surprising news that many women in Nepalese society have strongly nurtured a sense of hatred of their own sex due to the discriminatory treatment meted out to them by the society, family and sometimes also by their own better halfs.

To make it clearer, a very interesting example can be cited. This scribe has personally known a woman who lived in the same building where this scribe had taken up temporary residence. Hailing from the village, she had not even passed SLC. However, she had good financial position because of her husband’s good income. I knew about her from my spouse with whom she frankly told everything about her reproductive health and family. Now she already has two daughters. In the hope of getting a son, she aborted her third pregnancy that contained a female fetus. The desire for a son is still strong and who knows what trouble is waiting for her in the time to come.

As she does not have a son, the news of the birth of a male child by any woman comes as a shock to her. "It is the worst of news for me, if I hear that any woman has given birth to a son. I neither can eat nor sleep at all," she confides with her friends.

This particular inferiority complex could puzzle anyone. Afterwards, I came to know that her mother-in-law was one of the main reasons behind her negative attitude towards those women who give a birth to a boy. The old woman has been constantly torturing her saying: "If you do not give birth to a male baby, I will force my son (her husband) to marry another woman."

It is not that this case applies to every family but it’s enough to prove that the people and the society at large still discriminate between a son and a daughter despite our stepping into the 21st century. It will be biased to blame the women only. The concept that speaks of the supremacy of males is primarily responsible for gender disparity in our society.

It is our backward and superstitious society that creates ridiculous ideas in the minds of the common folks regarding the status of women in the society. Although the rays of education and knowledge have already made their presence felt in our society, they have yet to penetrate into the minds of masses living in the far-flung areas of the country.

A mere slogan is not enough to abolish disparity between the males and females. One must promote the ideas of equality and modernity. People should be educated that woman are as equal and able as her counterparts. What man can do a woman can also do.

To raise the status of women, firstly, they should have the right to make decisions on family size, reproductive health and sexual behaviour. Secondly, they must have the rights to property. If they have a strong say in society, perhaps women would be able to decide how many children are enough whether son or daughters.