What can ICT bring for the inhabitants of 600,000 Indian villages? How India is empowering the poor and marginalised citizens to participate in the emerging knowledge society? How will India provide voice to her millions of citizens?... more
What can ICT bring for the inhabitants of 600,000 Indian villages? How India is empowering the poor and marginalised citizens to participate in the emerging knowledge society? How will India provide voice to her millions of citizens? ‘Taking ICT to every Indian village: Opportunities and challenges”, attempts at answering such questions and exploring the complex interactions between ICT and society. For the first time, a conscious effort has been made to bridge the gaps existing between research and practice – a matrix of development verticals, founded upon the principles of human development approach, tests and validates the planning, implementation and evaluation of ICT projects. An insightful analysis of rural India portrays the complexities of social, political and economic environment in which institutions and initiatives function and operate. Argumentative, analytical and thoughtful – the collection raises many questions for practitioners, policy makers, planners and researchers on the emerging ICTD paradigm in India. A whole new direction has emerged through this discourse – making government, private sector and civil society leaders think on the social, economic and cultural consequences of taking ICTs to Indian villages.
