Role of ICT
In this post- modern world today, to live without knowledge of ICT is like having a pen in your hand without knowing what to do with it. Our world has become a global village without necessarily destroying our various cultures.

Like the Radio and Television before it, the Computer has eventually become a home appliance that many people look at as an indispensable medium of communication. Information and Communications Technology or (ICT) on the other hand, is an umbrella term that includes all technologies for the manipulation and communication of information. ICT in fact encompasses any medium to record information (magnetic disk/tape, optical disks (CD/DVD), flash memory etc. and arguably also paper records); technology for broadcasting information – radio, television; and technology for communicating through voice and sound or images – microphone, camera, loudspeaker, telephone to cellular phones.

It includes the wide variety of computing hardware (PCs, servers, mainframes, networked storage), the rapidly developing personal hardware market comprising mobile phones, personal devices, MP3 players, and much more; the full gamut of application software from the smallest home-developed spreadsheet to the largest enterprise packages and online software services; and the hardware and software needed to operate networks for transmission of information, again ranging from a home network to the largest global private networks operated by major commercial enterprises and, of course, the Internet.

Unlike information technology (IT) that makes use of computers and the internet to handle and store information, information and communication technology (ICT) is a technical term that includes IT as well as telephonic, broadcast media, and other kinds of audio and video processing and transmission. Hence, ICT is a more general term that focuses on the role of communication in information technology. Telephone networks are merged with computer networks and necessary software through a single cabling or link system to progress communication smoothly and conveniently. As such, information and communication technology brings along several wealthy new opportunities and careers to explore.

Significance of Information and Communication Technology
Education
Inclusion of ICT in the school curriculum helps students to make effective use of resources and development of students’ interests in studies. With the use of high-quality standard simulation for demonstrations, students can be encouraged to take keen participation in studies. As a result, they can achieve better grades in other subjects, apart from information technology (IT) only, and determine the different ways of using the requisite information in specific ways. Therefore, ICT becomes all the more important from an early age so as to familiarize the students with it, as it is not a one-time course, and will be required throughout the education and adult life.

Development
Due to its high accessibility and affordability, ICT solutions are providing a number of employment and entertainment opportunities. Society groups are taking due advantage of ICT in transforming and using the untapped resources to the best utilization. Further, due to easy access of ICT to telecommunication services, remote areas have been introduced with mobile banking and internet services, thereby contributing to socio-economic development. Also, communicating and interacting with peers over long distances has been reduced to a mere telephone, email, or video conferencing.

Environmental Stability
ICT is largely being used in environmental monitoring of projects to improve the standard of living of the population. People who are illiterate about the unprecedented knowledge of environmental systems are educated about the same and different ways of utilizing them. These literacy barriers are broken through communication, such as using video and radio. Further, they are empowered to bridge the gap between environment and development

Role of ICT in Development Communication
                              Nora C. Quebral, a leading academic in this field defines Development    Communication as the “art and science of human communication applied to the speedy transformation of a country and the mass of its people from poverty to a dynamic state of economic growth that makes possible greater social equality and the larger fulfillment of the human potential.”
F.Rosario Braid is of the opinion that development communication is “an element of the management process in the overall planning and implementation of development programs.”
Development Communication is, in a broad sense is thus, “The identification and utilization of appropriate expertise in the development process that will assist in the increasing participation of intended beneficiaries at the grassroots level.”
Development Communication can also be defined as the integration of strategic communication in development projects. Strategic communication is a powerful tool that can improve the chances of success of development projects. It strives for behaviour change and not just information dissemination, education or awareness-raising.
New media technologies promise profound changes in how global citizens obtain news and feature programming as well as how we communicate among ourselves and contribute to the emerging de-centralized, many-to-many media system. By becoming aware of how mass media is controlled and biased by a few corporations, by choosing alternative media sources and by taking action to publish news and original content with digital production tools, the internet and independent media-vehicles – the public can create a true revolution in the control and presentation of media.

Continued dramatic improvements in computer memory and processing speed per unit of cost led to steady increase in affordability and usability of computers. Combined with breakthroughs in storage technology, this made it increasingly possible and desirable to capture and store information, entertainment and other forms of valuable information and content in digital form. This digitization, in turn, made it easier to reuse, repurpose, manipulate and combine this content, anywhere at any time, for the specific purposes of the user, through a variety of electronic means, often in combination.
At the same time, steady and substantial increases in telecommunications bandwidth, fuelled by the widespread deployment of fiber optic cables, satellites and wireless technologies, made it easier and cheaper to share information globally and to communicate instantaneously at long distances. These new technologies and the optimism they produce about their economic and social potential, led to an extraordinarily dynamic period of innovation, investment and growth in because Several optimistic projections emerged about the potential of these new technologies and global networks to create economic opportunity in developing countries and  in poor neighborhood  in rich countries, give voice and power to the poor, make their governments more responsive and transparent and make the world’s best knowledge on any subject available anytime, anywhere to those who needed it to improve their lives. Of course, the conviction that information and communication technologies could be powerful tools to combat poverty did not originate with the Internet and World Wide Web.
The history of international development over the past several decades is full of efforts to harness a wide range of technologies (computers, telephone, radio and television, as well as sector-specific technologies in areas as diverse as health, agriculture and environmental management) to combat poverty and disease, build human capacity and improve the functioning and efficiency of government ministries, markets and other economic and social institutions in developing countries. At the same time, just-in-time access to global sources of information and knowledge would provide unprecedented opportunities to tackle the intractable problems that compounded and perpetuated poverty, such as disease, famine and environmental stress. Hospitals in Africa that rarely ever received a medical or scientific journal could now, many hoped, have access to the full range of global scientific and medical research. Agricultural extension agents could now be armed with the best of what the world knew about plant, seeds, pests, fertilizers and soil management. Policy-makers would be better able to manage natural resources and respond to environmental problems, both they could monitor them better and because they would have at their disposal the world‟s knowledge about these challenges.
The rise of more sophisticated communication and information technologies, such as satellites or the Internet, has opened new horizons and opportunities. The potential of the new technologies has not only increased the penetration of mass media, for instance, through satellites, but it has also created new opportunities to enhance communication at the local level utilizing technologies such as the Internet or mobile telephones. The establishment of “telecenters” in rural areas is spreading in many countries as a way to support local development in the social and economic dimension.
Communication technologies are still looked upon by some with suspicion, probably because of past experiences when media were often used to “spin” arguments and impose change on people. The effectiveness and value of ICTs and other new communication technologies are determined by the way they are selected and utilized. Even if technologies are not the panacea for every communication problem, they are valuable tools to address specific needs, especially when used in a way compatible with and relevant to specific local needs.
Even if the internet, satellite, mobile phones and wireless computers appear to constitute the new frontiers in communication, there are some critical factors to consider before adopting them. These factors can be divided in three basic categories: economic, technological and cultural. From an economic point of view, there are high costs associated with the software and the hardware components of ICTs for individuals in developing countries, placing these commodities outside the reach of most people. In the case of the internet, there are also access and connectivity costs to consider. Other costs related to ICTs include the establishment and maintenance of reliable infrastructure for telecommunications. It should also be noted that the wave of liberation and privatization taking place in this sector in many developing countries can be a limiting factor for marginalized sectors of society.
From a technological point of view, it is difficult to ensure the proper operation of such technologies in places where there are no phone or electric lines. Even where those services are guaranteed, regular maintenance and updates and issues of compatibility among different standards, become major issues. Technical support is a necessity for individuals in richer countries and would be even more necessary in countries where people are less technology-literate. In many countries, users need basic training in computer use and prior to that, literacy skills to communicate effectively on the Internet.
From a cultural point of view, there are also a number of constraints. The language in which most of the information is available on the Internet can pose a barrier. Additionally, given the high illiteracy rate of many areas of developing countries, many potential users are excluded from the start. Even when language barriers are overcome, often cultural issues remain crucial in gaining fundamental knowledge and the needed frame of mind in order to take full advantage of the power of these technologies.
Despite such shortcomings, ICT can do and play a major role in development communication. In addition to the widely used information dissemination functions, technologies such as the Internet also have the potential to support the horizontal processes of communication.
With their quantifiable and fast exchange transmission flows of information and their capacity for overcoming time and space, there is no doubt that ICTs can have a stronger appeal than participatory processes, which appear more complex to manage and require longer and closer interactions. In fact communication technologies are more effective when used within proper cultural frameworks and in processes that engage stakeholders in the selection of the objectives, key issues and appropriate channels. ICTs and media can certainly play a key role in development communication, but they are not a panacea capable of solving all problems and of filling all gaps related to knowledge and perceptions.