Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday said disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) should be used for improving the agriculture sector, and asserted that the rural population represents both opportunities and responsibilities.

Speaking at the inaugural session of 21st General Session of African Asian Rural Development (AARDO) Conference, the vice president also stressed using technology to alleviate suffering.

Speaking at the event, Dhankar said the rural regions nurture 3.6 billion lives, including 894 million rural Indians, "representing both our opportunity and responsibility."

"A challenge to our intellect is in form of emergence of disruptive technology. Artificial intelligence, machine learning...No less than industrial revolution," he said.

"They offer daunting challenges but also bring a basket of opportunities, only if we learn to unleash them," he said. Dhankhar said these technologies should be used for improving the farm sector and rural areas.

"If we can unleash these disruptive technologies for greater good of rural India and farm sector, and of the entire world, humanity will be a safer place," the vice president said.

"India has taken some flagship initiatives and one initiative is digital India," he added.

He stressed on using technology to mitigate suffering, reducing corruption, and generating accountability.

Stating that India has the target to become a developed nation by 2047, Dhankhar said there was a time when India had to deposit its gold with banks in Switzerland to sustain fiscal credibility.

"By then the foreign exchange reserve was only 11 billion US dollar, if it can be compared to the present situation the volume has gone to seven hundred billion US dollar," he said.

He said India is an example for the rest of the world that what could be the impacts of good initiatives in the field of rural development and empowerment of people.

Dhankhar also talked about the significance of the role of women in governance and said India has constitutionally structured participation of women at village and municipal levels.

"Gender participation in governance is fundamental to bring about equality and to cut into inequities. India perhaps the only country in the world that has constitutionally structured participation of women in governance," he said.

He said that in village and municipal bodies, one third seats have been reserved for women. AARDO, one of the earliest examples of South-South and Triangular cooperation in the fields of agriculture and rural development in the African-Asian region, was established in 1962. It is an autonomous inter-governmental/multilateral organisation, comprising 32 countries of Africa and Asia as full members and three associate members.

It has been given the status of an international organisation by the Government of India, at par with other UN organisations in India.