Indian Telecentre Forum 2008

India is home to one of the largest numbers of ICT4D projects in the world. Most of them are ‘telecentre’ initiatives in rural contexts, based on public access to technology approach. Rural telecentre projects are exploring the contextual use of new ICTs do hold great promise, not only in areas of health, education, public service delivery, social security services and livelihoods but also for greater political participation, stimulating local knowledge systems, developing empowering social networks and encouraging a vibrant local media.

Critiques argue that most of these initiatives, including huge government-sponsored ones, have proceeded without a critical analysis of the social, economic and developmental objectives sought to be achieved in ‘bridging the digital divide’, and have been based on assumptions that ignore the social and economic complexities involved in this process.

Given this backdrop, the Indian Telecentre Forum 2008 (ITF 2008) fifth in the series of Telecentre Forums organised by CSDMS in collaboration with telecentre.org, will provide a platform for all key stakeholders representing the government, the private sector and civil society, besides donors to join and discuss about the achievements, challenges and the progress in the telecentre movement.

The forum will create a common ground of equitable learning that will facilitate a process of overall development of the country. It will shape the way forward for the telecentre movement within India, and for making it an example for the world to learn from.

The Indian Telecentre Forum 2008 will focus on

• A close examination of telecentre movement in India
• Demystifying social enterprise model
• Discussions on achieving balance between financial and social objectives
• Asian Telecentre Leaders Knowledge Sharing Session
• The need of new technologies and innovations in the areas of content and connectivity
• Upgrading the skills of the grassroots managers
• Examining the role of NGOs in Common Services Centres programme?
• Will mobile phones take over telecentres?

Who will attend?

• Telecentre practitioners
• Telecentre leaders
• Technology solution providers
• Social investors
• Researchers
• Project implementers
• Private sector investors
• Government implementers
• Donor agencies
• Content developers
• Consultants
• Community mobilisers

Expected outcomes

• Creating a synergy among different telecentre practices
• Knowledge exchange among Asian telecentre leaders
• Better understanding of social enterprise model
• Strategies to reach out the bottom of the pyramid
• Identifying innovative practices in the areas of content generation and connectivity

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