India Needs More Smart Villages Than Smart Cities

?"The nation can only be rebuilt by reconstructing villages. If the villages perish, India will perish, too.?It will be no more India.?” Mahatma Gandhi.

The profound statement by the Father of Nation underscores the pivotal role of rural development in shaping India's national identity and progress.?While urban centres may flaunt advanced infrastructure, digital connectivity, and efficient services, it is crucial to recognise the role of Smart Villages as vital feeder systems to metropolitan hubs.?Smart Villages decongest cities and lay the foundation of Smart Cities.?

A Smart Village is a concept that focuses on leveraging technology and innovation to improve the quality of life in rural areas. Similar to Smart Cities but tailored for rural settings, Smart Villages address challenges such as access to healthcare, education, clean water, energy, and sustainable economic development.

A Smart Village aims to bridge the rural-urban divide by harnessing technology's potential to make rural communities more sustainable, inclusive, and economically viable. Villages supply the urban landscape with vital resources, including food, skilled labour, and raw materials. Since most Indians reside in villages, developing smart villages should precede Smart cities.?

A report says that over ten crore Indians earn over $10,000 annually, indicating that the wealth of affluent Indians is rapidly increasing. However, the growth trajectory leans towards urban rather than rural India. The prosperity movement should happen more in rural than urban areas to build a strong India.

The fundamental requisites of a Smart Village are:

Technology Integration: Utilizing digital technologies like the Internet enhances connectivity and predicts weather conditions.

Sustainable Development: Promoting environmentally friendly practices such as renewable energy sources, waste management solutions, and sustainable agriculture.

Quality of Life Improvements: Enhancing healthcare facilities, education systems, and public services through technology.

Economic Opportunities: Supporting local economies by fostering entrepreneurship, improving market access, and creating employment.

Community Engagement: Involving residents in decision-making processes and promoting social cohesion through digital platforms.?

Infrastructure Development: Upgrading roads, water supply systems, and telecommunications to support modern living standards.

Data-driven Governance: Using data analytics and digital tools for efficient governance and public service delivery.

India's need for more intelligent villages than smart cities stems from several critical reasons:

Equitable Development: India's population is predominantly rural, with over 65% living in villages. Addressing the needs of these rural areas is imperative to achieving equitable development and national progress. The emphasis on equity and fairness should resonate with the audience, invoking a sense of justice and societal balance.

Agricultural Backbone: Agriculture remains a pivotal sector that employs a significant portion of the population and contributes significantly to the economy. The introduction of intelligent villages, with their potential to harness technology and enhance agricultural practices, productivity, and rural livelihoods, holds promise for these areas.

Urban Migration Pressure: The concentration of population in cities leads to overcrowding, strained infrastructure, and socio-economic disparities. The advent of intelligent villages provides alternative opportunities, reduces the pressure on urban centres, promotes regional development and alleviates concerns about urban overcrowding and infrastructure strain.

Infrastructure Connectivity Gaps: Rural areas lack basic infrastructure such as reliable electricity, clean water, healthcare facilities, and educational institutions. Smart village initiatives can focus on improving these essential services through technology and innovation.

Digital Inclusion: Smart village projects' transformative power lies in their ability to bridge the digital divide. These initiatives can empower rural communities economically and socially by facilitating digital literacy, internet access, and e-governance services.

Environmental Sustainability: Rural areas are often closer to natural resources and sustain ecological balance to eliminate pollution from urban gadgets in surrounding cities.?

Education: There is a vast difference in Education in villages, towns, and cities. Education follows skills, knowledge, discipline, and the power to think and act. If generations are educated, they will know the caste system is wrong, cleanliness is next to God, what to ask elected bodies for their farms, and what to grow when they see the weather forecast.

Had India planned a priority growth path for its six lac villages on Independence, its eight hundred towns and cities would have already become Smart Cities.

The spread of inequitable urban growth has distorted the scenario, creating a gulf between cities and villages and widening economic disparities. On one side, millions of Indians now earn more than $10000 ( Rs.830,000) a year, and on the other, an Indian farmer earns $1000 (Rs.83,000) a year. India will only be a sustainable superpower if the trend reverses and smart villages rise nationwide.

Economic empowerment, infrastructure development, renewable energy adoption, environmental conservation, and community participation?are key pillars of sustainable village development. Inclusive growth built on equal participation of the villagers will make India a real superpower.?

To become a $ 5.0 trillion economy, India needs more Smart Villages than Smart Cities, as the fundamental sources of sustainable growth lie in villages.

Rightly said, “ It takes a village to raise a community, which raises the country.”?