India MCTs - Rajkot District, Gujarat
Telecommunications has been identified as the key to the sustainable integrated rural development (IRD) programme. Shared telecommunication facility "Community Telecentre" can be realistic and cost effective way of extending health care,
trading, education and several other community services which are usually available in urban areas to the remote rural areas.
This report is the pre-investment feasibility study carried out for provision of twelve community telecentres in the rural areas of
Rajkot District, State of Gujarat, India.
COMMUNITY TELECENTRE SERVICES
The community telecentres will provide the following set of services.
- e-mail and Internet access
- Tele-medicine for health care.
- Tele-trading for selling agriculture produce.
- Tele-administration for implementing the rural development programmes of the state government.
- Tele-customer service for telephone bill collection and registration of new connections.
- Tele-education and computer education.
- Miscellaneous services : FAX, STD PCO, photocopying, word processing.
COMMUNITY TELECENTRE LOCATIONS
The community telecentres will be located in the following twelve sites of District Rajkot.
- Moti Marad*, Taluka Dhoraji
- Bhayavadar*, Taluka Upleta
- Jam Kandorna*, Taluka Jam Kandorna.
- Derdi*, Taluka Gondal
- Maliya, Taluka Maliya
- Khareda, Taluka Morvi
- Mahika, Taluka Wankaner
- Vinchhiya*, Taluka Jasdan
- Paddhari*, Taluka Paddhari
- Lodhika, Taluka Lodhika
- Kotadasangani*, Taluka Kotadasangani
- Charansamdhiyala, Taluka Jetpur
* Tele-medicine service will be available only at these seven locations in the first year of operation.
DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF THE SERVICE AREA
Each community telecentre will serve the rural population within 10 km. radius. The twelve community telecentres will serve
- population 400,280
- area 292, 888 hectares
- villages 232
- households 66,700
TARIFFS
The following tariffs are proposed for the services provided by the community telecentres.
Tele-medicine
- Consultation with specialist Rs. 50
- ECG Rs. 50
- Foetal monitoring Rs. 50
- Tele-trading Rs. 25 per transaction
- Tele-administration Rs. 12 per application
- Tele-customer service No additional charge for telephone bill payment
- Rs. 10 for new connection registration
FINANCIAL APPRAISAL*
| |
0 Year |
I Year |
II Year |
III Year |
IV Year |
V year |
| Capital investment |
5,608,300 |
2,076,000 |
|
|
|
|
| Operating expenses |
|
4,862,442 |
7,711,085 |
8,360,974 |
8,699,456 |
8,850,838 |
| Operating Revenue |
|
7,944,064 |
10,062,523 |
10,558,275 |
10,961,332 |
11,078,382 |
| Operating Surplus |
|
3,081,622 |
2,351,438 |
2,197,301 |
2,261,876 |
2,227,544 |
* All figures are in Rs.
- Internal rate of return (IRR)19%
- Pay-back periodLess than 5 years
- Financing strategy
- Grant / loanRs. 6,866,500
- EquityRs. 900,000
KEY DECISIONS
- Computerisation of district administration and marketing yards.
- Agency for implementation and operation of community telecentres.
- Mode of financing the project.
- Introduction of ISDN service at the selected sites.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
It is proposed to implement the project through a co-operative society. Alternatively, the state government can
implement the project and offer services through franchisees.
TIME SCHEDULE FOR IMPLEMENTATION
After the key decisions for implementation of the project are taken by the partners, the project will be implemented
in 30 weeks.
SPIN OFFS
- Computerisation of district administration.
- Computerisation of marketing yards.
- Impetus to JRY, IRDP and other development programmes.
- Computer literacy in rural areas.
- Attaining IRD objectives.
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