ICT for Social Development: Some Experiences and Observations

It is widely acknowledged that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have potential to play a vital role in social development. Several projects have attempted to adopt these technologies to improve the reach, enhance the base, minimize the processing costs, and reduce the cycle times. Studies and experiences of Center for Electronic Governance at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (CEG-IIMA) indicate that significant efforts are required to internalize these technological solutions through well managed reengineering of back-end processes and capacity building efforts to ensure sustainability. Suitable public-private partnership models have to be adopted to ensure rapid development and cost-effective solutions.