Rural web users in India to grow 30%

The number of internet users in rural India is forecast to rise 30 percent to 5.4 million in 2010,according to a joint study conducted by the Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and market research firm IMRB.

E-mail is the dominant purpose of internet access in rural India,the organisations said,adding that about 85 percent of the total rural users in 2009 accessed the internet for e-mails.

About 13 percent of the total rural internet users in 2009 scouted for latest farming techniques over the web,while 8 percent also used it to find more about fertilizers and pesticides,the organisations said.