Solution Exchange India

The Information and Communication Technology for Development(ICTD) Community promotes information and communication technologies as an enabler for sustainable development and as an alternative means of livelihood,  particularly for grassroot communities in India.

The ICTD Community provides a knowledge sharing forum for exchange of ideas, lessons learnt and best practices and effective interventions in support of national development goals. It facilitates and promotes viable solutions in line with the Millennium Development Goals, provides a platform for exchange of innovative approaches through ICTs among interested stakeholders.

For instance, the community  has successfully held consultations on the amendment to the Panchayati Raj Institutions Act, the Microfinance Regulation Bill, National Aids Control Programme – III and Right to Education to mention but a few. The community members provided valuable feedback on the Implementation of Janani Suraksha Yojna (JSY) under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and State level Disaster Management Acts. The community volunteers developed a speedy and effective grievance redressal mechanism for the district administration of Medak, Andhra Pradesh.  

Issues covered

1. Harnessing ICTs to enable local communities particularly womens groups to develop sustainable livelihoods;
2. ICT- enabled service delivery models such as ICT innovations to enhance quality and access to education for both men and women;
3. Licensing and regulatory framework : Feedback on ICT policies and practices;
4. Applying ICT in building scientific knowledge and open access including promoting Open Source Technology and Open Education Resources platforms;
5. Synergizing and deploying communication tools and media to facilitate access to grassroots population;
6. Promotes innovative use of ICT for creation and dissemination of local knowledge to bolster multilingualism and cultural diversity;
7. Capacity – building of grassroots “knowledge workers” through pilot projects;
8. Promoting ICTs for better governance through inclusive ICT strategies to reach marginalised and unreached population & social groups with special needs;
9. Tapping into the potential of mobile technologies for facilitating access to information and education;

Who should become a member of the ICTD Community?

1. Policy and decision makers from Government of India
2. Practioners and developers from technology companies addressing ICTD
3. Scholars and researchers from academic and research institutions
4. Grassroot workers and decision makers from Civil society and non-government organizations
5. International and UN agencies