ICT Use in Rural India: Innovations Bridge the Digital Chasm

India has benefited economically from the development of the ICT services sector. However, India has also been subject to a growing digital divide. In some countries, NGOs and private firms have begun implementing ICT applications to address knowledge gaps, providing the poor a level playing field with village power structures, governments, and markets. A few of these initiatives have achieved a noticeable scale and have significantly improved delivery of social, economic and government services to the rural poor.

Subhash Bhatnagar is an adjunct professor with the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) and works half time as a consultant with the World Bank in Washington DC. He co chairs a Thematic Group on e-development at the World Bank and is responsible for mainstreaming e-government applications in the activities of the Bank.