ICTs and poverty reduction: user perspective study of rural Madhya Pradesh, India

This paper presents findings of a user perspective study on the impact of ICTs (information and communications technology) in rural India. The study is based on primary research conducted by the author in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, India. The aim of the primary research is to explore whether ICTs can be deployed to enable the improvement of rural human capital and increase participation in market opportunities. Amidst growing literature on the supply-side debates on ICTs in the rural sector, this study addresses the sparsely explored demand-side factors. Further, the outcomes of the fieldwork challenge and validate the ‘ICT-rural poverty linkages’ conceptual framework for ICT growth to be good for poverty, developed by the author in an earlier publication (2006). The paper further identifies issues critical to enhancing the accessibility of ICT services to the poorest rural households.