When Technology Became Affordable, Ordinary Indians Found New Possibilities

CA. S. Muralidharan
Business Mentor and Thought Leader

A fisherman checks market prices before bringing his catch ashore. An apple grower in Himachal Pradesh finds a buyer in Jaipur. A street vendor accepts payment through a QR code. A village entrepreneur earns a living by helping neighbours access online services.

These are small acts. Together, they tell a large story.

Affordable technology has brought business capabilities within reach of people who could never have built such systems themselves. Ordinary Indians have responded with practical intelligence. They have learnt, experimented and adapted these tools to the needs of their work.

Their achievement deserves attention. Technology supplied the opportunity. People found ways to turn it into a livelihood.

The cost of doing business came down

For a small entrepreneur, obtaining information, finding customers and collecting money can consume a large part of the working day.

A larger business can employ people for these tasks. A small trader or self-employed worker often has to do everything personally.

The mobile phone brought several functions together. It became a means of communication, a price-information service, a product catalogue, a navigation tool and a payment device.

Falling data costs made frequent use affordable. Official figures show that average wireless data revenue realisation per GB fell from about ₹269 in 2014 to ₹8.31 in June 2024—roughly a 97% decline. This is an industry average measure, rather than the price of every recharge plan. (pib.gov.in)

For ordinary people, this meant that using technology could become part of everyday business.

Kerala’s fishermen: earning more value from the same catch

Fish is perishable. A fisherman cannot wait indefinitely for a better price.

Earlier, boats could arrive at a market already crowded with fish. Prices would fall, and some of the catch could remain unsold. Elsewhere along the coast, buyers might be waiting for supplies.

Mobile phones helped fishermen and traders check conditions before deciding where to sell.

Robert Jensen’s study of Kerala’s fisheries during 1997–2001 found that the spread of mobile service was associated with sharply reduced price differences between markets and the elimination of wastage in the markets studied. Producers and consumers benefited. (academic.oup.com)

The fishermen recognised the commercial value of a simple phone call. They used it to answer an immediate question: Where should I take today’s catch?

Better information helped them obtain more value from work they had already done.

Himachal’s apple growers: the orchard stayed, the market expanded

An apple grower’s income depends on much more than growing good fruit. Grading, packaging, transport and access to buyers also matter.

A World Bank account of the Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Development Project describes growers Karan and Rajesh using the government’s e-marketplace app to compare prices. They sold apples as far away as Jaipur, where they obtained favourable prices. New and upgraded markets also helped connect growers with traders from other parts of India. (worldbank.org)

The growers used information to widen their choices. Their orchard remained in Himachal Pradesh, but their selling decision could now take account of demand elsewhere.

Digital apple auctions have added another possibility. The Bithal digital mandi, launched in 2025, combined automated grading with bidding supported by photographs and quality information. Buyers could assess produce remotely. Its long-term effect on average grower income still needs independent measurement. (tribuneindia.com)

This example also shows why physical infrastructure matters. An app can identify a buyer. Apples still need careful handling and reliable transport.

Karnataka’s farmers: better selling arrangements improved prices

Karnataka’s Unified Market Platform brought agricultural markets onto a common electronic system. The reform combined online bidding, greater visibility of produce and changes that allowed traders to operate across markets.

A study published in PNAS estimated increases in modal market prices of 5.1% for paddy, 3.6% for groundnut and 3.5% for maize. It found no statistically significant price effect for cotton, green gram or tur. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

These differences matter. Digital systems produce benefits when the surrounding trading arrangements work effectively.

For a farmer with a thin margin, even a modest improvement in the selling price can make a meaningful difference. Part of the gain can come from selling better, rather than producing more.

Cardamom growers: making the auction visible

In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, electronic auctions introduced another way to improve the selling process.

The Spices Board introduced cardamom e-auctions at Puttady and Bodinayakanur in 2007. A cloud-based system later linked the centres. Displays show the lot, quantity and current highest bid, making the process more transparent. (indianspices.com)

The grower did not have to own this technology. Shared infrastructure made it available.

This is an important feature of affordable access. A small producer can benefit from a sophisticated system by paying for, or participating in, a service.

Dairy households: confidence in measurement and payment

For a household supplying a few litres of milk each day, accuracy matters.

Automated milk collection units combine electronic weighing, milk testing and computerised payment calculations. They generate a transaction slip that records the sale.

The National Dairy Development Board identifies greater transparency and shorter collection time among the benefits. Its related digital system also offers farmers a mobile passbook. (nddb.coop, nddb.coop)

Here, a better livelihood includes greater confidence that quantity and quality have been measured properly. A clear record makes payment easier to understand and question.

Such improvements may seem small from outside. For a family depending on daily milk receipts, they are significant.

Street vendors: adapting technology to a tiny business

UPI brought digital payment acceptance within reach of very small enterprises. Under the zero-MDR arrangements operating during 2020–25, BHIM-UPI acceptance also avoided the merchant discount charges associated with many other payment methods. (pib.gov.in)

The familiar QR code at a roadside stall represents an important adaptation. A vendor can serve a customer who has a phone but little cash.

Research covering women in informal work found UPI acceptance even among street vendors who could not read. This demonstrates practical adoption, although it does not establish an equal income increase for every user. (research.iihs.co.in)

We should recognise the learning involved. People fitted a new payment method into businesses built around small transactions, personal trust and daily cash needs.

They learnt what was useful for their work.

Technology also created new livelihoods

Common Service Centres offer another example. Local entrepreneurs help residents access government, financial and other online services.

Tamil Nadu’s IT Department describes these centres as village-level service points covering areas such as banking, education, agriculture and utility payments. (it.tn.gov.in)

A person’s ability to navigate digital systems became a service for the community. Residents could save travel and time, while the operator gained an earning opportunity.

Human assistance remained valuable. Technology created a new role for someone who could explain, guide and complete a task.

Ordinary people were active participants

These stories reveal adaptability that discussions about technology often overlook.

The fisherman used connectivity to choose a landing market. The apple grower compared distant buyers. The vendor fitted digital payments into a tiny stall. The village operator turned digital knowledge into a local service.

Their innovations were practical responses to everyday problems.

Formal education and technical expertise can help. But these examples show that people also learn through use, observation, assistance and experience. When a tool solves a recognisable problem, they have a strong reason to master it.

This broadly echoes Alvin Toffler’s vision of an information society in which economic activity becomes more decentralised and varied. His term “demassification” helps explain how widely available technology can support many small, distinctive enterprises. (loc.gov)

Making the opportunity last

Affordable access is the beginning. Better livelihoods also depend on usable services, skills, fair terms, reliable payments and physical infrastructure.

A randomised evaluation of the Reuters Market Light SMS service in Maharashtra found no significant average improvement in prices received or crop value added. Information alone did not overcome the barriers farmers faced in that setting. (povertyactionlab.org)

The practical task for policymakers and businesses is therefore to help people act on information. That may require another buyer, transport, storage, quality testing or assistance in a familiar language.

India’s experience gives us reason for confidence in ordinary people’s ability to adapt.

When useful technology becomes affordable and accessible, they find ways to make it serve their needs. They bring enterprise, judgement and persistence to the opportunity.

One of technology’s greatest achievements is giving a person with modest resources a better chance to earn, support a family and build a more secure future.