Affordable IT for for the common man

1. PCs have come down in price. You can even pick up a used P-III, PC for as low as Rs3000, including a Video Monitor and keyboard. A new one, with a dual core CPU costs about Rs 15000.
2. Computer servers, which connect/serve many smaller computers cost from Rs 30,000 upwards. They can connect to the Internet. So a Panchayat server can be connected to the Block/Tehsil/District and State Head Quarters. For instant transfer of information, as if they were in the adjoining room. This shrinks the world, and no village is remote.
3. The Internet is widespread. Though its use has to catch up. The network exists, and as demand builds up MTNL/BNL and aggressive private players can ensure no part of rural India lacks connectivity. For remote places, for e.g. Badrinath in the Himalayas, a cellphone based Internet is accessible
4. Thin Client computing, along with the Internet, means that you only need small PCs, or thin clients, as they are called, with the users. These are connected to big, powerful servers remotely located on the Internet. These servers process and store all the information, and are managed centrally. Thin Clients are cheap, and every Panchayat ca have one or two spare ones, which can just replace a non-functional one, something which can be taught to a village lad even,. So there is no need of an elaborate (and expensive) IT servicing network. This makes IT universally available throughout India.
5. A recent development which is causing a near revolution in IT, is called Cloud or Utility Computing. The servers, which need to be reliable and scalable, to meet rising loads were expensive, to buy, operate, maintain and administer. Currently every organization and some departments even have their own servers. A lot of scarce manpower is required to keep them running. Recently with the availability of Utility computing large computing capacity is available on the Internet, which reaps the economy of scale, and brings the costs of server computing from a an expensive Roll Royce to a scooter or a bicycle . An analogy would be with electric power, in the early 20th Century, each company had its own small electric power house.Today we have super-thermal stations which supply whole cities and regions. No longer does everyone need their own power house, but can get cheaper, and more reliable electricity from the grid.
6. A similar revolution is taking place in Software.It is called SaaS, software as a service. Earlier it was sold as a separate product, today it is hosted on large Cloud servers, and you just use it as a service. Like GMail, Yahoo Mail or Hot mail. It is up all the time, and you can access it from anywhere where you have Internet. It is priced at affordable levels, and you only pay when you use it, and only as much as you need. However, if your requirement suddenly jumps up, you can draw the additional capacity from the grid, just like electric power.