The term Digital Divide was coined in the mid-1990s in the adversarial atmosphere underlying the issue of whether regulation should be built into the Telecommunication Act of 1996 to offset market forces arising with the new information infrastructure.

Today, there are fewer political overtones to the use of the term, as business and government leaders jointly recognize the importance of bringing everyone onto the information grid - without necessarily agreeing on how to do it.

The emphasis of researchers has shifted to understanding the social impact of market forces being unleashed as the Digital Age proceeds. A vast international network of researchers has sprung up. Harvard University alone has half a dozen research centers that address the Digital Divide.

Not surprisingly, the definition of the term has broadened. Some researchers still focus on tracking the various disparities that are widening or narrowing as the Digital Age unfolds. Most researchers, however, now look beyond questions of access to the various ways that digital technologies can be employed as a factor in reducing poverty.

We have collected here a number of Model Initiatives focused specifically on IT-based Efforts in India which illustrate some of the ways social entrepreneurs from a variety of sectors and with a diversity of interest areas are using Information Technology to address some of the intractable problems of poverty.

We are always looking for new and innovative initiatives both to support and to share with our constituents. If you have information about projects that might be of interest to us please let us know.