Information technology and the Internet are changing the world- but only parts of it. The vast opportunity and potential of these technologies is available to only a select few. There is a small minority, the new elite, with access to the latest information at their fingertips, and a vast majority who do not have access to even basic infrastructure. Although these technologies have enormous promise in the fight against poverty and inequity, they are at present only widening the already existing divide. Information and Internet technologies are especially relevant to mountain communities which lag behind the farthest even in terms of conventional physical infrastructure and hence live in an information vacuum. Even in this twenty-first century, they remain isolated, insulated, cut-off from worldwide developments and those of other similar communities and areas, lacking motorable roads and bridges, and snowbound and thus practically closed to all physical interaction with externals for at least half the year. Due to the very nature of the environment in which they live, the Internet is possibly the cheapest medium of information for them.

The Pragya Project on Linking Mountain Communities through the World Wide Web is aimed at giving the Himalayan communities a platform to share ideas and information, and realise their potential, using information technology and the internet. It addresses the issues of digital duality and lack of access to information for development of the rural underprivileged. It will help the 'digital have-nots' in mountain areas with the establishment of a web-based forum for Himalayan communities (www.himalnet.org - under construction) for promoting information sharing and collaboration, facilitating sustainable development, and enabling income generation. The project will initially address the communities that Pragya is working with, but is envisaged to grow to include all other Himalayan communities.


The project has a total of five modules :

Community Orientation ~ Pragya has been working on initiating the communities it is working with into the various aspects of Information Technology and the Internet. Preliminary orientation and training has been carried out for select community groups in Pragya project areas to introduce them to these technologies and their potential benefits for the development of the community as a whole and for specific sectors of interest. These groups included farmer associations, traditional healers, weavers, artisans, women's groups, amongst others. Collaborative Design ~ The development gaps of the Himalayan region that can be addressed by the effective use of Information and Internet technology have been identified with inputs from the different sub-groups within the community. Community group discussions and village meetings have been conducted in different villages in the Pragya project regions for a community-based concept development and design of the proposed website. The output of these meetings was the collaborative defining of the website- the strategy and purpose, the needs it will fulfill, the coverage and nature of contents, the key users and key uses it will serve, and its positioning on the Internet. Content Development ~ Efforts have been initiated for the collection of information for the preparation of the website contents from various sources and getting them Internet 'ready'. Some of the content planned to be developed are: a. E-herbarium of Medicinal Plants & Ethnobotanical Knowledge of the Himalayas b. Database of Himalayan Arts & Crafts for Heritage Based Enterprises c. Information on Natural & Cultural Heritage of Himalayan Communities d. E-commerce Enabled Marketing Channel for Goods & Services of Indigenous Mountain Communities e. Information on Mountain Concerns & Issues, and Potential Solutions/Developments Key repositories of the information and knowledge existing within the community have been identified and the various knowledge/information categories that need to be documented are being inventoried. Rigorous surveys will be carried out for the collection of the required content in each category (pictorial, graphic, audio, verbal content). This will be followed by the digitalisation of images and audio contents, preparation of databases, and compilation of issue/information sheets, for publishing on the website. Website Development ~ The complete website will be prepared as per the planned design. The basic design & outlay will be finalised, the sitemap and the information flow & theme will be developed. The text, graphics and images to be hosted on the site will be developed. The finished site will be programmed, uploaded, tested and debugged, and linked to search engines. Community Capacity Building ~ The community will be developed with the competencies and the capacity to utilise the web-based forum developed for optimal benefits, and to manage it. A group comprising select community members from each geographical pocket will be constituted for managing the developed website. Two resource centres equipped with computers, scanners and printers will be set up- one in the eastern Indian Himalayas, and another in the western Indian Himalayas. A training for web trainers and managers will be designed and intensive training provided to the above community group in internet use and information access and sharing, towards effectively utilising the website for their benefit. Transfer of training to a larger number of members in the community will also be facilitated. The project will be institutionalised through the development of systems and processes for regular information sharing and access by community members. We are also liasing with the relevant authorities to provide adequate infrastructure.