Rural e-governance: Exploring the gender gaps and its impact on women(A case study of e-gram suraj scheme of Chhattisgarh State of India)

Abstract

Use of ICT in rural governance is an emerging phenomenon in India.  In the present paper, citing various grass root realities and incidents, the author establishes a correlation between the existing gender gaps and gender discriminations in the rural society and consequent marginalization of rural women from emerging rural e-governance. In this context the author also examines the existing rural e-governance agenda of the state government and concludes that currently the gender issues are not given adequate attention and representation in it. The findings are based on a study of a rural e-governance scheme of one of the most socially and economically challenged states of India: Chhattisgarh.