Paper Presented during International Conference on What’s next in libraries? Trends, Space, and partnerships held during January 21-23, 2015 at NIT Silchar, Assam. It is being jointly organized by NIT Silchar, in association with its USA partner the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

1. 2002 – 2014
www.defindia.org

2. DEF Brief
• Digital Empowerment Foundation into
existence since 2002, based in New Delhi
• Pan India presence - directly in 12 states,
indirectly in over 20 States through its
partners & network
• Pan South Asia presence – 6 countries
including Afghanistan
• Pan – global  network presence in Africa,
and through World Summit Award, APC,
Internet Society

3. Vision
To make the digital inclusion reach the
masses, beyond economical haves. To
create even opportunities and linkages
between haves and have-nots so that the
grassroots knowledge reaches the
economic prosperity and vice versa
through digital media

4. Mission
To constantly create an order of economic and
knowledge empowerment of the people living at
the edge of information and economy through the
use of Information Communication Technologies
and Digital Media

5. DEF Relevance
There is widespread digital divide,
information gaps and digital
inequality in India, South Asia &
underdeveloped regions.
DEF attempts to contribute to
bridge these gaps along with its
partners to reach the last mile with
need based connectivity, access
and ICT solutions.

6. Value Proposition
For millions of people across villages in India,
South Asia & Developing World, who are living
at the edge of information and economic benefit,
DEF seeks to offer linkages, network and
solution platform that brings forth local
knowledge & wisdom to the market and
economic prosperity to the villages, through
innovative interventions of ICT tools and digital
media

7. USP
• The ICT based development agency in India
focusing on rural connectivity, access, information,
digital content aggregation and delivery in the
social context
• 1000 plus organizations network created across
India, South Asia & Africa
• Spread across 12 states in India and 6 countries in
South Asia & 2 countries in Africa
• Set up and running 55 rural ICT centres in India
• DEF’s canvass for digital enablement is 70 percent
of India’s population in all sectors

8. Working Domains

9. Community & Field Programmes

11. • 500 + Panchayats (Local
Government Councils) online
http://epanchayat.in/
• 2500 Panchayat functionaries
made digital literate
• 250 Digital Panchayat Centres as
rural Information & Services
centres

13. • eNGO: Developing capacities of
grassroots organisations in India, South
Asia & Africa with ICT and Web support.
http://pirengo.org/; http://engo.in/
• 5000 grassroots NGOs brought online
• 10000 NGO functionaries digitally literate
& web skilled enabled

15. • eMSME: Platform to promote economic
viability of micro and small enterprises
with ICT and web support.
http://emsme.in/
• 200 MSMEs brought online for commerce
and business viability
• 350 MSME professionals digitally literate
and web skill enabled.

16. Integrated Cluster Development Programme

18. • Chanderi Weavers ICT Resource Centre
http://chanderiyaan.chanderi.org/
• 40000 weavers family digitally enabled with
digital designs
• 2000 youths IT trained
• 5000 digitally literate
• Tele-health facility for distant treatment
• ICT labs in 15 government schools
• Wireless connectivity serving local clients
• E-Commerce for local, national and global
market

20. • A pan India educational content
platform for the K12 community.
http://gyanpedia.in/
• Schools networked  350
• Students engaged  2000
• Teachers networked  500
• Content collated  5000

22. • A ground water management system
programme at community level
http://neerjaal.org
• 25 villages served
• 100 resource managers trained
• Ground water testing & reporting
• Ground water data collection,
analysis and sharing on the web.

24. • “Wireless for Communities” (W4C) which
utilises low-cost Wi-Fi based equipment to
connect and empower rural and
underserved communities. http://wforc.in/
• 7 wireless for communities in 5 States
• 130 rural grassroots wireless engineers
trained and prepared
• Connectivity & access benefits to 5000
users

26. • Minority Cyber Gram programme for
digital minorities & excluded communities
http://minoritycybergram.in/
• Digital literacy for minority communities
• Adoption of a minority village for total
digital literacy & information services
• 1300 households & 2600 beneficiaries

27. Soochna Seva
(Information Service)

28. • Public scheme information dissemination
& citizen entitlements
• 5 backward districts in India in 5 States
• 100000 households
• 400000 beneficiaries
• 200000 women beneficiaries
• 1200 Information Centres
• 5 information vans

29. Integrated Public Library
Programme

30. DIGITAL Library
• 2 District Public Libraries in 2 States (Uttar
Pradesh & Bihar)
• 10000 beneficiaries
• Digital cataloguing of library resources
• 200 library fellows
• Access facility for 5000 users
• IT training for 2000 youths

32. • CIRC  Access, information &
services for rural communities
• 55 centres in rural India
• 150000 citizen users served

33. • Literacy mission in 10 States
• 100000 digitally literate

34. Knowledge Networks

36. • Digital Knowledge Centre: A digital
repository of audio-visual best practices in
ICT and governance practices in India.
http://digitalknowledgecentre.in/
• Repository of 5000 digital innovations &
best practices

38. • The Manthan Award Asia Pacific for
best digital content, technology &
solutions. www.manthanaward.org
• 10 years of award running
• 5000 best practices recognised &
promoted
• Network of 15000 digital partners

40. • mBillionth Award  Recognising and
promoting best mobile practices in
content, technology and applications in
South Asia. www.mbillionth.in
• 300 best mobile practices recognised
• Network of 2500 mobile innovators

41. Advocacy Programmes
• Internet Rights .
http://defindia.net/categ
ory/def-project-
link/internet-rights/
• Green Prakriya.
http://defindia.net/green
-prakriya/
• Digital Minorities.
http://manthanaward.or
g/IMG/National
%20Minority
%20Consulation
%20Report.pdf

43. Policy Role
• DEF on board of Working Committee on Internet
Governance, Ministry of C&IT, India
• DEF on board of Working Committee on IT/ITeS,
Ministry of C&IT, India
• DEF on board of screening committee of
Community Radio in India, Ministry of I&B
• DEF regular presence in national print and
audio-visual media on policy issues
• DEF on board of World Summit Award

44. PARTNERS IN PROGRESS
Barefoot College; IIM Ahmedabad; IL&FS Education &
Technology Services Ltd; Tata Consultancy Services (TCS);
NIIT; UNDP; Intel; National Institute of Smart Governance
(NISG); Department of Information Technology (DIT);
OneWorld South Asia; Government of Uttarakhand; American
India Foundation (AIF); Global e Schools & Communities
Initiative (GeSCI); Hole-in-the-Wall (HiWEL); Technology For
the People (TFTP); Nasscom Foundation; Self Employed
Women’s Association (SEWA); SRISTI; Municipal Corporation
of Hyderabad; World Summit Award (WSA); International
Centre of New Media (ICNM); European Academy of Digital
Media (EADiM); CDAC; National Mission on Bamboo
Application; Panos South Asia; Aagaz Foundation; British
Council; Association of British Scholars; Cyber Media India
Limited; India School Fund; Media Lab Asia; Social Impact
India; Vodafone India Foundation, PIR, Internet Society; NIXI;
Ford Foundation; Bill Melinda Gates Foundation; European
Union; Sir Dorabji Tata Trust

46. Digital Empowerment Foundation
@
www.defindia.org
defindia@gmail.com
+91-11-26532786 / 26532787
+91-9810042862
Thank You