Description: Using Information and Communications Technology to Reduce Poverty in Rural India

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Using Information and Communications Technology to Reduce Poverty in Rural India

The note focuses on experiences in rural India, showing that information and communications technology (ICT) can enhance poor people's opportunities, by improving access to markets, as well as health care. Furthermore, it can empower them by e...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors:	Cecchini, Simone, Prennushi, Giovanna
Language:	English
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2012
Subjects:	ACCESS TO INFORMATION AUDIOVISUAL EQUIPMENT CABLE TELEVISION COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY DATA ENTRY DIGITAL DIVIDE E-GOVERNANCE E-GOVERNMENT ECONOMICS HEALTH CARE HEALTH PROGRAMS INCOME INFORMATICS INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE INFORMATION SYSTEMS INTERNET ACCESS INTRANET LEARNING LITERACY MEDIA NETWORKS PHONE SERVICES PROGRAMS SMART CARDS SOCIAL CAPITAL TEACHERS TELECOMMUNICATIONS TELEPHONES TELEVISION UNIVERSAL ACCESS UNIVERSAL ACCESS FUNDS VIDEOS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY POVERTY REDUCTION RURAL POVERTY MARKET ACCESS HEALTH CARE DELIVERY PUBLIC SERVICES MICROFINANCE DAIRY COOPERATIVES COMPUTERIZATION PRICING POLICIES OF RESOURCES ACCESS TO DATA BASES ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE GOVERNMENT ROLE TRANSACTION COSTS DESIGN CRITERIA GRASSROOTS PARTICIPATION LOCAL OWNERSHIP LOCAL LANGUAGES TRAINING ASSISTANCE PUBLIC AWARENESS
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2002/06/2009991/using-information-communications-technology-reduce-poverty-rural-india http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11344

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Summary:	The note focuses on experiences in rural India, showing that information and communications technology (ICT) can enhance poor people's opportunities, by improving access to markets, as well as health care. Furthermore, it can empower them by expanding their use of government services, including increased security, and widened access to micro-finance. A revision follows on the computerized milk collection centers in Gujarat which ensures fair prices for small farmers, and, on enabling auxiliary nurse midwifes' services in Andhra Pradesh, by freeing time to deliver health care to poor people. Also reviewed is the case of Gyandoot - a government-owned computer network - making government accessible to villagers in the poor, drought-prone Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh, where immediate, and transparent access to local government data, and documentation is provided. A micro-finance institution in the Medak district of Andhra Pradesh, facilitates Smart Cards, that hold information on clients credit histories, lowering transaction costs, reducing errors, as well as fraud. However, designing interventions that reach the poor is successful, provided grassroots intermediation is taken into account, as well as local ownership, local languages, training, and awareness.