Importance of ICT for Stakeholders in Punjab

The list of major stakeholders in Punjab is given below:

1) Global Community
2) Central Government
3) Provincial Government
4) Citizens
5) Private Sector
6) Industry
7) Agricultural Sector
8) Business
9) Education System

Global Community:

Ideas do not develop in vacuum. The need of present time is to share the information to explore new ideas and avenues to enhance capabilities. The developed countries are well aware of importance of information and they have solved their lot of problems by using ICT (Information Communication Technology). Now it is a dire need of time that developing countries must understand the importance of ICT.

Central Government:
The major policies of a country are designed and implemented by central government and it may always be beneficial to have policies according to global trends. Now the trends of government has changed to e-Government in which internet technology is used as a platform for exchanging information, providing services and transacting with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government. The most important anticipated benefits of e-government include improved efficiency, convenience, and better accessibility of public services.
Provincial Government:
Different provinces in a country have different needs. It is the provincial government which implements central policy according to its needs. But ICT is as important for provincial government as for central government. To improve services for its citizens and for efficient coordination with the centre, implementation of ICT is necessary.
Citizens:
One IT literate person can obtain information from internet about any matter of life. He can find the right markets for purchasing of products. By using ICT one is capable of knowing the current global trends. If someone has any problem then he can consult the relevant experts or government departments through internet swiftly. One can pay his bills within seconds by using online systems saving his precious time. Online banking is another fruit of ICT which a citizen can enjoy.

Private Sector:
There are many organizations in private sector which are working in different fields. Globally the organizations becoming more complex and therefore the organizational management methodologies are rapidly changing. So to meet global standards and to improve efficiency rapid decisions are required. For decision making factual data is necessary. So to make decisions which are based on facts in short time ICT is necessary.
Industry:
An industrialist can keep himself well aware of the emerging and hot markets at the global scale by using ICT. Doing so he can make access to the right and better markets for his product. He can also remain well informed about latest equipment and technologies increase his products. This will surely broaden his industrial base. All this will indirectly paint a much better picture of his country.
Agricultural Sector:
The application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in agriculture is increasingly important. E-Agriculture is an emerging field focusing on the enhancement of agricultural and rural development through improved information and communication processes. More specifically, e-Agriculture involves the conceptualization, design, development, evaluation and application of innovative ways to use information and communication technologies (ICT) in the rural domain, with a primary focus on agriculture.
Business:
Now various business technologies are being used globally. We can say that for rapid business growth swift marketing techniques are necessary. We have to find the right markets on globe and have to provide efficient customer services. So without the implementation of ICT these targets can not be achieved in time. E-commerce is necessary to promote the products of a country and it would be helpful to increase exports. Small business and local handicrafts can be promoted globally in a better way by using ICT or e-commerce.
Education System:
Current need of changing time is to properly train the personnel and equip them with the latest teaching/learning practices. By the implementation of ICT the education standards can be improved. Now the IT knowledge is necessary for everyone. A educational institute must have access to online libraries and research material which is impossible without connectivity. If a one has any type of problem then he can consult with online professors and can join online discussion forums. Virtual campuses of universities can help people enhance their qualification and skills.

Knowledge Society

Broadly speaking, the term Knowledge Society refers to any society where knowledge is the primary production resource instead of capital and labour. It may also refer to the use a certain society gives to information. A Knowledge society "creates, shares and uses knowledge for the prosperity and well-being of its people".

Characteristics
Knowledge societies have the characteristic that knowledge forms a major component of any human activity. Economic, social, cultural, and all other human activities become dependent on a huge volume of knowledge and information. A knowledge society is one in which knowledge becomes a major creative force.
Knowledge societies are not a new occurrence. For example, fishermen have long shared the knowledge of predicting the weather to their community and this knowledge gets added to the social capital of the community.
With current technologies, knowledge societies need not be constrained by geographic proximity
Current technology offers much more possibilities for sharing, archiving and retrieving knowledge
Knowledge has become the most important capital in the present age, and hence the success of any society lies in harnessing it.
Increasing relevance
Knowledge and information are vital components of the formation of any society because every society is formed around some shared concepts. One of the contributions of Globalisation and new ICT is the creation of a global society with a shared knowledge of issues and possibilities.
'Material resources and their processing' - henceforth E - have been the basis of economic growth. Music, art, path-breaking thought streams, mixing of cultural attributes of different societies bringing in new cultural attributes, etc. - henceforth C - result in cultural development and act as a catalyst in entire social development. Now that the many societies have so matured that almost all the activities involved in E and C rely on existing knowledge base very much. This knowledge is available in written documents, written laws, unwritten laws, people's convictions, people's words in different languages etc. In the same way as the unequal distribution of materials (wealth in generalized term) caused unbalanced and inappropriate development of society to date, imbalances in the knowledge distribution, knowledge availability, knowledge sharing, etc. hinder the economic/cultural/social development of human societies. The knowledge societies first realize the importance of knowledge and also the importance of proper knowledge distribution, sharing and building for social development