ICT For Development

ICTs
for
Development
John Bosco Lourdusamy

Dept. of HSS, IIT Madras
SPREADD of Information
Storage
Processing
Retrieval
Exchange
Access
Display
Dissemination
of information
John Bosco Lourdusamy IIT Madras
INDIA
Basic Premises and Promises

We are in a
- Knowledge Society, Knowledge Economy,
- ICT /fast paced age. Would be left behind
Globalisation - Indias ICT advantage
ability to meet global demands
Liberalisation IT boom, telecom boom

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DESCOT
Conquers DISTANCE
Promotes EFFICIENCY
SPEEDY
transaction/services
Brings down COSTS
Opens new OPPORTUNITIES
Promotes TRANSPARENCY

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Scalability, economic
feasibility - falling prices of
equipment, communication
services,
Interactive possibilities
Versatility- same set up can
be used for education,
medicine, etc.
Hybrid possibilities
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Local entrepreneurship PCO booths,

ICT kiosks
Promotion of local enterprises, local
production units e.g Milk Co-operative,
or Jute manufacture Unit, due to better
information input, (costs, new
processes, raw materials), access to
markets, access to quick loans
Local connectivity ensures movement of
business process or units to those
areas
promotion of existing service industries
like tourism, entertainment
INDIA
Gender inclusiveness
women friendly flexi jobs
Empowerment - Voice to
the voiceless
Across the board
improvement in
knowledge production
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Urbanisation and saturation

of existing cities- need to
stop migration
Sustainable development.
ICT can help solve some
environment related
problems web-conference,
paperless office etc

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DOMAINS
Administration
- better planning/monitoring of
dvt programmes
- more efficient and swift
collection of, or access to
local data on crop production,
epidemics, demography, law
and order issues, industrial
activity, rainfall, etc..
INDIA
- build dynamic food atlas,

famine atlas,
- better G2G communication
- Better co-ordination
between different levels of
governments and partner
agencies
INDIA
--improved service to citizens

digitization of records, electronic
documents,
Electronic transactions [e.g.electricity
bill payment],
Disbursal of loans, salaries electronically
complaints/applications/petitions
follow-up.
INDIA
access to information [like

subsidies, dvt schemes],
access for citizens to higher levels
of administration,
state can use ICTs in even as
diverse sectors from traffic - speed
limit control electronic reporting
to RFID cattle monitoring
INDIA
Quality of governance
- Transparency
- Awareness of rights
- Strengthening of
democratic institutions
- Reduction in bribery
INDIA
Medicine
- use of PDA for data

collection saves time for
other works
- digitization of medical
record
- better data mgmt
- Better epidemic control
- timely and swift action
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Telemedicine
-mobile
hospitals
And (stationary)Telemedicine
centres
- Avoidance of unnecessary
movement of patient - time
and costs saved
- broader outreach of
specialist expertise, esp.
non accessible areas.
INDIA
- Better training for local

health care staff
exchange of professional
expertise
access to distant databases
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EDUCATION
taking education to areas of

inadequate access
Strengthening Existing Institutions,
Edusat, NPTEL, open course ware,
digital archives of videos and audio
lectures, demonstrations, simulations
Access to databases [cloud
computing],
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e-books,
continuous flexible learning
New ICTs two way/multiway
learning
asynchronous interaction Eforums/mailing groups,
access to limited expertise by many
INDIA
Distance Education partnerships

with advanced universities and
countries
Research access to distant
material, data, cloud computing,
greater possibilities for collaboration
Vocational Training - Employment
awareness/ employability
INDIA
Commerce
e-commerce
online trading
latest and best prices
reduction of middlemen
New market opportunities
INDIA
Agriculture
e-consultancy - dynamic farm

advice
latest methods, seed varieties
weather reports,
Alternative loans [apart from local
money lender] with less interest
best prices, e-procurement
INDIA
Dairy
Milk Union
Testing
Calculation of prices based on fat
butter content
RFID cattle monitoring [ number,
health status]
INDIA
Fishing
ocean temperature
wave heights,
fish density
Dynamic Market
situations/prices
INDIA
Disaster Mgmt
early warning mechanisms

Better and more dynamic
weather forecasts
access to relief - coordination
of relief operations

INDIA
Environment
remote sensing -useful data for
water and land management
water storage requirement
forecast
dry land identification
Updated database on soil use,
pollution, climate , deforestation
INDIA
Civil society mobilization
e-petitions, campaign,
networking,
international audience,
Greater influence on policy
making

INDIA
Cultural
Better access to music, theatre and
other cultural offerings
Diversity of offerings
staying connected social networking,
Blogging diversity of interaction
multilogue
SMS, file transfers [compression
technologies]
INDIA
Online greetings - savings to the

environment, postmans chore
Online matrimonials, bouquets.
Newer forms of entertainment
gaming,
e-ticketing for entertainments
INDIA
Improvement in Postal and

Transport facilities
e-booking of Speedpost
tracking of letters, trains,
cargo
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RESERVATIONS/CONCERNS
Indian software expertise- it is not
really summoned to local ICT4D, the
software expertise - service to
clients abroad, Export driven
Not linked much to efficiency of
Indian industry or economy at large
More software oriented No
matching hardware thrust
INDIA
More is needed on telecom sector too

three increasingly getting integrated
Mostly imported hardware in
conjunction with the fact that many of
the internet kiosk initiatives are
funded by entities like HP, Microsoft or
run by NGOs funded by international
agencies [like IMF] give rise to the
doubt as to whether these initiatives
have an ulterior motive
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Digital divide
Favouring the urban e-lites better
infrastructure, services, training,
skilled HR and purchasing power
Large Scale Illiteracy huge
challenge
Lack of basic infrastructure like
electricity, networks
INDIA
Domination of English Language ,

Maintenance,
local training a huge challenge
Relevant Content Development,
Tailored applications Big challenge
Veracity, trust worthiness of
information especially those from
virtually anonymous sources
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Possibilities for greater

control, Homogenisation
E-learning desirable?
possible fully?
Is it just Training or
education
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Cultural uprooting, false

expectations, bad
consumption patterns
May actually promote
migration.
cyber crimes, data theft,
privacy
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Telemedicine what is needed is

more doctors and primary healthcare
workers.
Some of the common diseases are
common TB diarrhoea, malaria,
cholera, which have been well
studied as to their causes and
remedies what is needed is not hitech video conferencing but
preventive measures at the ground
level
Most diseases relate to lack of proper
nutrition, housing, hygiene, toilets,
and general livingINDIAconditions
Problems of caste
Issues of gender
Inconsistency in political
and administrative
support [champion
centric]
INDIA
ICT in itself will not solve anything - But

need more institutional innovations like
RTI, election reforms
Having information itself [say of a new
farming method] is of no use unless they
have the other basic wherewithal to
invest,to diversify. What is the use of
knowing the latest prices if the farmer has
to anyway sell it to the money lender
only to him only at the price fixed by him
[lender]
Need for an integrated approach
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technological determinism
structural issues versus choice
reinforce existing divides
locate in high-caste area or collude with
people of influence
reason: good first result
result: widening the divide
pilots in privileged areas not helpful
indicators or wider dissemination
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SOLUTIONS
1. Use of ICTs as means (rather than ends) to
solve fundamental problems.
2. Need analysis
3. Spreading awareness -- ICT's existence,
use, benefits, precautions, etc.
4. Gaining trust of people -- security issues,
ideological issues, hassle-free services, etc.
5. Better accessibility -- for all classes,
women, etc.; available at appropriate place,
time, and price.
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6.Low cost devices/ connections /services

7. Local content, based on local industry, agl,
society, its needs and in local languages
8. Training - to make most effective use;
training to create local maintainers
9. Bottom-up approach to decision-making,
management, funding, etc./ demand rather
than supply driven
10. Appropriate (knowledgeable +
professional) Intermediaries - infomediaries
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11. Sustained financial plan for the

initiative.
12. A hybrid mix of technologies -instead of too much focus on
Internet, mobile, etc.
13. Effective feedback mechanism

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Possibilities of Reverse
Dissemination

INDIA
Sample of ICT projects
http://www.dhan.org/themes/itforpoor.php ( DHAN Foundation ICT for poor website)

http://www.akshaya.kerala.gov.in/index.php/e-literacy (e- Literacy)
http://bhoomi.karnataka.gov.in/ (Land records/ e- governance )
www.aaqua.org/ [agriculture]
E-sagu - agriculture.iiit.ac.in/
http://www.tarahaat.com/
http://www.itcportal.com/sets/echoupal_frameset.htm (Agri and e- business)
http://www.eidparry.com/it.asp (Agri and e- business)
http://www.kupnet.org/
http://www.mssrf-nva.org
http://www.azimpremjifoundation.org:80/ (education)
http://www.hole-in-the-wall.com/
(education)
http://www.gyandoot.nic.in/gyandoot/member.html (Education)
http://www.gyandoot.nic.in/ (common services )
http://www.gyandoot.nic.in/dhar_district/agriculture.html (agriculture)
http://www.drishtee.com/new/ ( Drishtee new website)
http://akashganga.in/ (Dairy Product)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4798081312524005219&pr=goog-sl#
( this is a Video for e business Milk collection)

INDIA

ICT For Development

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ICTs

John Bosco Lourdusamy

Basic Premises and Promises

John Bosco Lourdusamy IIT Madras

John Bosco Lourdusamy IIT Madras

Local entrepreneurship PCO booths,

Urbanisation and saturation

John Bosco Lourdusamy IIT Madras

- build dynamic food atlas,

--improved service to citizens

access to information [like

- use of PDA for data

- Better training for local

taking education to areas of

Distance Education partnerships

e-consultancy - dynamic farm

early warning mechanisms

John Bosco Lourdusamy IIT Madras

Civil society mobilization

John Bosco Lourdusamy IIT Madras

Online greetings - savings to the

Improvement in Postal and

More is needed on telecom sector too

Domination of English Language ,

Possibilities for greater

Cultural uprooting, false

Telemedicine what is needed is

ICT in itself will not solve anything - But

6.Low cost devices/ connections /services

11. Sustained financial plan for the

John Bosco Lourdusamy IIT Madras

John Bosco Lourdusamy IIT Madras

Sample of ICT projects

http://www.dhan.org/themes/itforpoor.php ( DHAN Foundation ICT for poor website)

John Bosco Lourdusamy IIT Madras

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