How ICT can help Poverty Alleviation

Biplob Kishor Dev

Blogger Cricket & Bollywood

http://bollywood-tips.blogspot.com

ICT (Information and Communication Technology) is one of the most recent contributions of science and technology which is playing a significant role in this twenty first century. Everyday we are going through the technology which has increased our living standard and opened the door of new possibilities. ICT is now largely related to the economy of a country. This is though to be the most notable contribution of ICT as it is possible to eradicate poverty using this technology. Let me be first to explain its importance from the economic point of view.

Using ICT it is possible to create new jobs in different sectors of both government and private institutions. Unemployment problem is considered to be a curse for a country’s economy which can lead the people of that country to go for any inhumane and terrorist activities. Being lured to get a good life with financial security, sometimes educated people forget their humanity and get into the criminal activities which endanger the life of other inhabitants of the society. However, if those people are given a good job with a moderate salary, the number of criminal activities will be decreased. ICT can play a big role in creating job both in home and abroad. Outsourcing, a way where people can do a job of a foreign company staying in their own country, has been a buzz in the world which has decreased the unemployment rate to a great extent.

Moreover, ICT can help people educate in various ways. As education, in most cases, is considered as a hindrance in getting the financial solvency, it is needed to make people educate to alleviate the poverty. It is not an easy task though, but ICT is really very much important to make people educate. If a child is taught scientifically then it will be easier fort the child to get the point. On the other hand, for old people, ICT can be more helpful to make them educate. It is not only to taught people the alphabet rather ICT has a far reaching effect in the higher education too. Distance learning has been possible because of ICT.

Lastly, there is another way which is more effective in preventing poverty. However, this way requires a minimal education to be followed. Information is very much needed in this globalized world. Let me give an example here to make it clear. Suppose a farmer sells his crop to the local agent for 5 tk/ kg and that agent sells the crops to town agent for 10 tk/kg. That agent sells the crops to the customers of the town for 20 tk/kg. So, here it is clearly seen that the farmer who has worked hard in his field for a long time to produce the crop is least beneficial. However, if an information server is set up in the village where the latest price of the town market is stored and if the village farmers have access to the server, then they will be able to know about the exact price of the market and will eventually be more beneficial than before. Thus the farmers can survive themselves very well. This is one of the examples of using ICT in our pragmatic life which can directly affect our economy and for sure can help to alleviate the poverty.

ICT is a blessing of our daily life. ICT has made the world smaller that it was before. Now, information can be retrieved from different sources within a short time using the ICT. I think ICT is well enough to make this world free from poverty.