Abstract:
Though there is a strong case for treating access to ICTs as a public good, dominant models of ICT deployment fail to address key policy issues of who develops, controls, implements and monitors the technology. This research study explores what kind of development and local governance are served by the telecentre initiative in India, proceeding to elaborate principles for an e-governance model based on tenets of participation, social justice and equity, through an assessment of an e-governance initiative of the state of Gujarat, which operates by means of an off-line software application, 'e-Gram Software’ in nearly 9000 gram panchayats within the state.
