Of the numerous efforts at making Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) a tool for socio-economic development and in the pursuit of a knowledge society, telecentres have been playing a dominant role. Telecentres are known by various names in different parts of the world, such as telecottages, Community Multi-media Centres (CMCs), Community Information Centres, Vilalge Knowledge Centres, info-kiosks, Common Service Centres (CSCs), IT Clubs and so on. They, as the public spaces providing services in the areas of health, education, public service delivery, social security services and livelihoods, hold tremendous promise for bridging the digital divide - the key barrier in reaching the twin, but inter-related goals of achieving socio-economic development and moving towards a knowledge society.

India is home to some of the largest ICT4D and telecentre initiatives in the world. Under its National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), the Indian Government has initiated the process of setting up approximately 240,000 Common Service Centres across rural and semi-urban areas within the country. Therefore, the Indian telecentre scenario is vibrant and offers many opportunities for knowldge sharing and peer to peer learning. The Indian Telecentre Forum 2010 is going to do just that by providing an opportunity to telecentre stakeholders, both regional as well as global, to meet and deliberate on the issues facing the telecentre movement, the journey till now, and devise new plans for the future. This forum, expected to follow a consultative mode, will also act as a platform to share experiences in order to come up with tangible solutions to the the issues raised.

Key Themes

• A Review of the CSC Programme (A status update)
• Telecentre Movement in India: Issues, Lessons and Best Practices
• Capacity Building and telecentre.org Academy India: The Task Ahead
• NEGP and Other National Level Development Programmes vis-a-vis the Telecentre Movement
• Telecentres in the Age of Mobile Phones
• Content, Services, and Connectivity: Taking Stock of the Indian Scenario
• Knowledge Sharing Among the Telecentre Stakeholders
• Sustainability Concerns in the telecentre domain
• Localisation of Content, Services, and Grassroots Innovation
• Telecentre Network Management: Issues and Concerns

Who will attend

• Telecentre Leaders and Telecentre Practitioners
• Technology Service Providers
• Social Investors
• Researchers and Project Implementers
• Private Sector Investors
• Government Implementers
• Funding Agencies
• Content Developers and Consultants
• Community Mobilisers