Abstract:

This study examines the role of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in combating poverty in a developing country like India. ICT includes a wide range of appliances and applications that facilitate access to information. Over the last couple of decades, quick access to relevant and reliable information has transformed the way the world lives and transacts business, transforming lives in the process. In this study, we examine the current and potential role such access to information has in speeding up India’s fight against poverty. The traditional view of Poverty describes it as an economic phenomenon, measured in monetary terms. Such a description facilitates its quantification and tracking across time. With the broadening of understanding, poverty has evolved into a multi-dimensional concept, that goes beyond material deprivation to include, among others, illiteracy, vulnerability, powerlessness, gender inequality, social exclusion and a lack of opportunity to fulfil one’s potential. With these broad definitions, the present study answers the following questions:

1. What is the role of ICT in economic empowerment of the poor including employment and income generation?
2. What is the role of ICT in combating social exclusion especially for women?

Keywords: ICT, Poverty, multidimensional poverty, education, gender inequality, social exclusion.

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