Taking ICT to Every Indian Village: Opportunities and Challenges
Atanu Garai; B. Shadrach (2006)
How can ICT be brought to 600,000 Indian villages? How is India empowering the poor and marginalised to participate in the emerging knowledge society? And how will India provide voice to the millions of citizens?
In an endeavour to tap the potentials of ICT for a holistic development of India, the nation-wide movement called ‘Mission 2007’ was launched in 2004.
A project evaluation methodology based on the capability approach is proposed. The methodology looks at four indicators at the local community level:
Access to information from the state, market and civil society organisations
Ability to process and evaluate information
To assimilate information in their own lives and produce information for others
To advocate for local knowledge in public spheres
Some of the findings include:
The development impact of ICT on society can be assessed using the capabilities approach since various forms of ICTs infuse knowledge and help human capability expansion
ICT can assist in reaching the MDGs by amplifying citizen’s voices, promoting quality in health and education services, and broadening the livelihoods base of the poor and marginalised
Rural areas are considered attractive locations for knowledge centres given high population density. The service provisioning however is challenged by poverty and illiteracy. However projects have demonstrated that people living in rural areas can acquire ICT skills quickly, even without high-levels of literacy.
Research recommendations include:
Integrating the human development approach to nation-wide ICT initiatives is essential for a successful outcome.
Building institutional linkages spanning across the horizon of social, cultural, economic, and political entities is efficient for poverty reduction.
Appropriate political, regulatory and governance mechanism be created that facilitates growth of shared ICT infrastructure in local communities.
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