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Sustainability 
To ensure financial sustainability, means of 
generating revenue are being considered such as 
collection of revenues from advertisements on the 
Intranet of agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, 
tractors, and pesticides. Training of kiosk managers, 
the community to participate in creation of 
information, and government personnel to deal with 
system changes brought about by e-governance are 
identified as key concerns. The role of an intermediary 
agency in dealing with the community is found useful 
and important, in the success of an area-wide strategy 
to wire all the villages in Pondicherry. 
Future 
Future technological innovations by Motorola 
may lead to better reuse of the VHF radio spectrum. 
This may be one of the projects strengths, in that the 
focus remains on the users (demand) and not on the 
technology (supply). The use of technology, 
nevertheless, is being well received by both the 
initiators/ facilitators and the villagers/end users. 
Two new Villages to be added to the 
existing VKCs are Periakallapet and Kunichempet, 
which are Dalit habitated villages. 
International Recognition 
The Information Village Research Project of 
the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation 
(MSSRF), Chennai, was awarded the Stockholm 
Challenge Award 2001 for pioneering IT projects 
worldwide for focusing on the positive effects of 
today's information society. Projects competed in 
seven categories, in areas where IT has great influence 
on people's lives. The information village research 
project of the MSSRF won the award under the 
category -- a global village. 
Recommendations 
The following recommendations emanate 
from the study observations and lessons learn from 
MSSRF Case Studies: 
1.Gram Panchayat Support 
As the investment is reasonable i.e Rs 1.5 to 
2 lakhs per village and as the funding is forth coming 
from IRDC and Friends of MSSRF,Japan , the Gram 
Panchayat need to provide at least the School 
Building/Panchayat building for establishment of the 
Village Knowledge Centre. 
547 
International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B7. Istanbul 2004 
The Pilot Studies in Pondicherry amply 
established fact that it is possible to take the ICT to the 
door steps of the poor and to the remotest of the 
remote village in the rural India. 
Secondly all the village information needs 
could be gathered on realtime basis which is 
enshaping the lives of the people for betterment 
economically and empowering them with information 
and decision making power. 
2.Service Charges 
Each and every service in the VKC should 
be charged for generating funding support for the 
operation and viability of the VKC and in generating 
potential gainful economic activities at the village 
level for the educated youth and the village women. 
The charges may be as fixed by the Gram 
Panchayat acceptable to the community. Multiple use 
of these VKC would usher new opportunities in 
generating revenues for the village as well as those 
involved in promoting ICT in rural areas. 
Training to school students, educated youth, 
job work for traders, local industries, etc should be 
encouraged for economic viability of VKC. 
3.Corporate Industry Support 
Corporate Industries should come forward to 
promote VKC for promoting not only their business 
interests but societal needs as well in all parts of the 
country and generate employment opportunities and 
income avenues for the rural poor and in bridging the 
digital divide. 
4.Government Support 
The Government should fund setting up 
VKCs in coastal villages, prone for natural disasters 
and other areas vulnerable for disasters, for giving 
early warning and in building better preparedness 
among vulnerable areas and people. 
5.HAM Radio VHF Receiver Sets 
In villages with fishermen communities and 
where the organised fishing activities are more, 
provision of HAM Radio VHF Receiver Sets should 
be provided and training should be imparted as the 
fishermen wish to have two way communication 
when in sea . 
6.E-Learning 
The IGNOU and other Open Schools should 
set up rural centres for promoting professional and 
technical education among the rural people in the