PATNA: Given the
diversified use and penetration of technology in urban areas so much so
that it has willy-nilly become an inalienable part of way of life of its
populace compared to rural areas, the Centre, in the situation, has
revived its old scheme for technology transfer to rural areas through
government-run polytechnics, and accordingly, the Bihar government, too,
has lapped it up, but its hands are tied, as the number of polytechnics
in the state is not much.
Bihar has 13 government-run polytechnics. Incidentally, as the Centre has computed, the country today has around 1, 495 government polytechnics, implying that Bihar's share in it is little less than one per cent, which further means that the state would not be able to reach out to a vast segment of adult population in its countryside for technology transfer through the scheme.
As the `Norms and Guidelines' of the new scheme put it, the urgency is to narrow the urban-rural technology divide in the country. According to Bihar science and technology department director Shribhagwan Singh, the scheme, called Scheme for Community Development through Polytechnics (SCDP), was first launched in 1975, but it was later closed, and has now been under implementation for the last two years since its revival in February 2009 after inclusion of a comprehensive list of trades for technology transfer to people in the rural areas.
"The higher education wing of the Union human resources development (HRD) department revived the SCDP with the hope that the polytechnics would seriously organize technology transfer. At our level, there was some delay in taking the decision in the department, but science and technology department of the state government is now vigorously implementing it," said Singh, adding: "Earlier, the Centre used to directly transfer the money annually to the principals of various polytechnics. Now, the money involved would be routed through the state government, or through the science and technology department."
Initially, the new project was implemented in seven of the 13 government-run polytechnics of the state, but, as Singh said, the "plan is to also extend it to the most other remaining polytechnics". The polytechnics where the SCDP is under implementation are those based at Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Barauni (Begusarai), Purnia, Saharsa, Pataliputra (or Patna-13) and Gaya. Annually, every polytechnic that is implementing the scheme gets Rs 17 lakh for the purpose of technology transfer to the willing persons in the rural side.
Bihar has 13 government-run polytechnics. Incidentally, as the Centre has computed, the country today has around 1, 495 government polytechnics, implying that Bihar's share in it is little less than one per cent, which further means that the state would not be able to reach out to a vast segment of adult population in its countryside for technology transfer through the scheme.
As the `Norms and Guidelines' of the new scheme put it, the urgency is to narrow the urban-rural technology divide in the country. According to Bihar science and technology department director Shribhagwan Singh, the scheme, called Scheme for Community Development through Polytechnics (SCDP), was first launched in 1975, but it was later closed, and has now been under implementation for the last two years since its revival in February 2009 after inclusion of a comprehensive list of trades for technology transfer to people in the rural areas.
"The higher education wing of the Union human resources development (HRD) department revived the SCDP with the hope that the polytechnics would seriously organize technology transfer. At our level, there was some delay in taking the decision in the department, but science and technology department of the state government is now vigorously implementing it," said Singh, adding: "Earlier, the Centre used to directly transfer the money annually to the principals of various polytechnics. Now, the money involved would be routed through the state government, or through the science and technology department."
Initially, the new project was implemented in seven of the 13 government-run polytechnics of the state, but, as Singh said, the "plan is to also extend it to the most other remaining polytechnics". The polytechnics where the SCDP is under implementation are those based at Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Barauni (Begusarai), Purnia, Saharsa, Pataliputra (or Patna-13) and Gaya. Annually, every polytechnic that is implementing the scheme gets Rs 17 lakh for the purpose of technology transfer to the willing persons in the rural side.
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