Access to Information by the Socially Disadvantaged in Developing Countries with Special Reference to India
2002; Volume: 8; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
0976-1934
Autores Tópico(s)ICT Impact and Policies
ResumoTechnological advancements in an “Information Conscious Society” have widened the gap of ‘digital divide’ among developed and developing countries in the world. In this paper an attempt has been made to trace the need to access information in developing countries and to use Information Communication Technology (ITC) as a tool for their socio-economic development with special reference to India. The components of ICT such as Internet, e-mail, newsgroups, groupware, bulletin boards, video-conferencing assist to decrease the gap of digital divide irrespective of location of an individual or a group. Non-availability of ICT, lack of training in using technology, language are identified as some of the barriers to information access. It is suggested that, relevant ‘local’ centric information is most vital for socio-economic growth of developed countries. Community based ICT services such as providing services at libraries, schools, government offices, post-offices and hospitals will take the services to masses in rural areas. Policies and information infrastructure development at national level facilitates the use of ICT. However, the content/knowledge bases have to be developed with judicious decision for its effective usage. In India there are many initiates to take ‘information to masses’. Invention of ‘Simputer‘ is in the direction of developing a low cost hardware for masses. New drive of ICT must be coupled with the efficient awareness campaigns, training programmes, initiatives for people with special needs, lower-costs and more user-friendly interfaces for transfer of knowledge to masses and better access.
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