Under this new programme, launched this year, villagers would be able to receive information from an `information shop', handled by trained volunteers, eminent crop scientist and chairman of the MSSRF, M S Swaminathan told PTI, here.

"Information about various governmental schemes for rural development, agricultural requirements and non-formal employments will be made available to the villagers who are thirsting for such information," he said.

"The information shops, acting as `value-addition centres' will transform general information into something which is usable and area-specific," he said.

For instance, general weather forecast on television can be reworked at these centres to generate micro-level climate predictions, Swaminathanwho was the former Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), he added.

"At present there are only five villages under this programme but in near future a large number of villages in Pondichery will be transformed into such information villages," he said.

Explaining the need for such programme he said, "Pondichery government has 145 schemes to help the poor, but about 45 per cent of them do not know about those schemes because of the unavailability of information."

The information shops are managed by trained local people, mainly women, as the softwares are available in Tamil, he said adding when needs arise, MSSRF scientists help the volunteers to interpret the data.

In agricultural sector information, about climatic conditions, marketing potential of the products and different management problems like pest and water management, will be available in those information shops, he said.

The programme will also help grow various eco-friendly farming such as sericulture,mushroom production, hybrid seed production, tissue culture, aquaculture and vermiculture, Swaminathan added.