Digital Divide: A comprehensive approach to Integrate State and community experiences into ICT Policy Framework from Indian perspective

There is an increased a wareness of the problem of `Digital Divide' in the world, as Information Communication Technology becom es a critical tool for socio-economic development. The term `Digital Divide' refers to the growing chasm between those information rich and information poor, unequal diffusion of ICT between geographical regions and communities, and limited capabilities of economically and socially disadvantaged people in remote regions. The basi e strategy to bridge the digital gap is to provide physical access to computers. In the present paper, the authors have made a thorough study on multiple hindering factors of bridging this Digital Divide, particularly in India, and take alook at some of the initiatives of the government of India in the light of merging state-level and community level experiences into framing a comprehensive ICT framework.