Page:SELECTED ESSAYS of Dr. S. S. KALBAG.pdf/225

 ﻿________________

scientifically documented, and even where it is, others do not get access to it quickly. Most people do not realise that information is a valuable product of all development activity, critical for its future pace and direction. Yet, we throw it away like rubbish. H. Industry We need to look for new opportunities for manufacturing industries in rural areas, with their special need in mind. This will depend on the inventive ability of the people. These are likely to be in the areas of agriculture, water, housing, transport, services, etc. They will lie mostly in the engineering materials (plastics, laminates etc.) and formulation areas. But at present, we look only at traditional crafts, many of them with an uncertain future. Lastly, we need to know what the criteria of success or the finish line for the S and T project are. Most tend to stop when they think they have achieved the result. The rest is for extension or marketing people. This is wrong. The project has often to be recast, when a market test shows that the consumer is not happy with it. The S and T project is not complete until the result is proved in the field with the target consumer/ client accepting it repeatedly and the role of the market researcher does not start after the S and T work is over; it starts when the project is being defined. The final judge of the success of the S and T project is not the funding agency but the people who have to use it. It is a slow process, often taking 6-7 years or more. One can mark the milestones on the way to see if one is going in the right direction, but there is no simpler easy alternative. This is what the history of all technology has taught us. Rural development is no different. Rural Development Through Education System 212