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Abstract

Many agree that knowledge is central to development and that there are considerable resources of knowledge and information that could be made available to assist poor people deal more effectively with the root causes of their poverty. New ICTs and increased priority and
resources for information exchange have the potential to improve the access to, and benefits from this accumulated knowledge for rural poor as well as creating a more informed policy environment. However, a digital divide separates those most in need from the world's information and knowledge resources. The programme of bridging the rural digital divide to reduce poverty makes a case for a new strategic programme. The programme has not yet been addressed in a cohesive way by the international development community. The rural digital divide isn't the only a problem of infrastructure and connectivity, but a multi-faceted problem of ineffective knowledge exchange and management of content, lack of human resources and institutional capacity, compounded by an acute scarcity of financial resources.

Introduction

Information played an important role in all societies since the dawn of civilization. However, in recent years, its increase in volume and accuracy as well as greater access, have significantly elevated its value in all aspects of social life. The world community has recognized the revolutionary nature of information society. The world is undergoing an Information Communication Technology (ICT) revolution, a revolution that has enormous socio-economic implications for the developed and developing countries. Science and technology have undergone revolutionary changes in recent past.

Only a few decades ago, all tele-communications services were delivered over copper wires. More recently, the world has witnessed the exponential growth of ICT. Today, the dazzling collection of new technologies, services and applications has led to a digital age in which access has become a key component of peoples' lives. The convergence of technologies, its rapid rate of change and importance in the development of economic, social, financial and educational sectors, is opening new opportunities from e-business to tele-education and tele-medicine. The growth of these new technologies has exacerbated the already extreme differences between the rich and poor countries and between the rich and poor, men and women in poorer countries. The digital divide is more alarming in the context of rural communities, which face further marginalization and widening information gaps as compared to communities in urban or periurban areas.

The term 'digital divide' emerged in the mid-1990s (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004) to describe the gap between those who have 'ever' and those who have 'never' accessed ICT devices. A distinction is commonly made between a digital divide within a country and one between countries.

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Dr. Gursharan Singh Kainth specializes in Quantitative & Development Economics, and is currently Director of GAD Institute of Development Studies, Amritsar, a self-financed research institute. Has been honoured with various awards, including Guru Draunacharya Samman, Vijay Rattan Award, etc.
Ms. Kamalpreet Kaur is Research Scholar at GAD Institute of Development Studies.
Article posted on December 28, 2008.