ICT and Rural Infrastructure: Cases from Indian Rural Sector

The idea of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) can be applied to a wide variety of areas across different geographical locations, sectors and contexts in order to improve efficiency. There is a general agreement among policy makers and researchers that ICT is necessary to support various commercial, developmental and government activities. This paper examines some of the major cases for ICT implementation in the Indian rural sector, specifically exploring the interactions between the ICT intervention and the context within which these projects were rolled out. 'ICT for development' intervention is showcased as a process involving different macro and micro environmental factors and targeting particular social welfare improvements where citizens, especially in the context of rural people's constraints and welfare, are placed at the heart of the technology implementation. This makes the development impact far greater and more sustained. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]