The success story of women empowerment in Andhra Pradesh, through Self Help Groups (SHGs) and MACTCS (Mutually Aided Co-operative Thrift and Credit Societies) has been widely appreciated across India. Over 5.4 million women have organised themselves in 380 thousand groups and they have accumulated savings of the order of USD* 900 . They have also got loans and grants from State Government and National Bank for Agricultural Rural Development Bank (NABARD) to the tune of USD 62 million, thus making their bank finances at USD 172 millions ! Farmers’ Groups have also been formed in the state to facilitate implementation of Participatory projects at grass-root level. The MACTCS are organized at Mandal ( a sub-district administrative structure; a district has on an average 45-50 mandals, and each mandal has around 25-30 villages) level, with directors of village level SHGs as members. These members, then, select a president, a secretary and 13 members as board of directors. The MACTCS gives loans to the groups and the groups in turn, gives loan to the individual members. Thus, the responsibility at the MACTCS level is of the groups and within the groups is of the individual members. Each SHG has a members group of around 10-15 and at the MACTCS level all the SHGs in the Mandal federate.

These village level organisations of the farmers and farm families have grown to a level of self-sustainability where they are now demanding more and more access to Information. They are demanding Information on public sector schemes, market prices, weather, etc.

MANAGE (National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management) is a national level apex institution that supports the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India on capacity building issues, and development and testing of new models of agricultural extension. Currently, MANAGE is working out

on new innovations in technology dissemination across the country. Cyber Extension; which is using Information and Communication Technology for Agricultural Extension, is one of the important themes of MANAGE. Under this initiative MANAGE is testing ICT connectivity at state level, at district level, at block level and at village level. The Ranga Reddy Project is the village level action research project of MANAGE. To test the information needs, information supply and the efficacy of setting up “Village Information Kiosks”, MANAGE has taken up a project on “Reaching the last mile: information technology for farmers and farm families at their door step” in Ranga Reddy District of Andhra Pradesh, as it is the home district of MANAGE.

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