Sustainable Telecentres? Two Cases from India

This paper examines the concept of sustainability for telecentres and provides two case studies from India. According to the authors, "the telecentre movement is gaining momentum in the developing world as governments and donor agencies turn their attention to the digital divide." Telecentres are seen as a community resource that can help with development among marginalised populations..." In Asia, most telecentres are still experimental and supported by agencies external to the communities they serve. When telecommunications and electricity are "problematic and expensive" the authors find that "the financial sustainability for development oriented telecentres appears possible under specified conditions."

Two examples of sustainable rural telecentre initiatives from India are outlined below. One involves a private company that delivers high quality agriculture information services and the second one profiles a franchise of government services to local investors.

Case One. Samaikya Agritech P. Ltd., Andhra Pradesh.

This company operates 18 “Agritech Centres” which provide commercial agricultural support services to farmers. Samaikya's Agritech Centres have qualified agricultural graduates who are equipped with computers linked to the head office in Hyderabad by modem. The centres offer: "technical assistance to member farmers, including seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides; machinery rental; tools and spares for sale; soil and water analyses; field mapping; weekly field inspections; field visits by specialists; and weather monitoring." Farmers register with centres and pay a fee per growing season. Support services are specific to the fields registered and include detailed information concerning the farmers' activities. Centres provide information based on data generated from pre-validated crop cultivation practices adopted in the state and provided by the government agricultural services and local institutions.

Case Two. Keltron Information Kiosks, Kerala.

Keltron Information Kiosks is owned by the Kerala state government but operates as a separate company. Keltron is developing information kiosks (telecentres) for public access to the internet to facilitate delivery of government services using ICTs. The kiosks experiment with various ownership models (state and local government and private) for telecentre sustainability. The kiosks function as independent profit centres and provide public internet access to approximately 50 people each day. There is trained staff to offer assistance and the cost is Rs.25 per hour and daily revenue is approximately Rs. 1,400. In addition to serving the public, a series of government information systems are being implemented for: "agriculture support, covering crops and pests; census data, with summaries and the official list of people below the poverty line; the electoral role; a grievance reporting and tracking system with facilities for email to ministers; and industry information on a variety of licensing, regulatory, and support schemes."