E-Governance Initiatives in an Indian State: Some Observations from a Gender Perspective

After the formation of the separate state of Chhattisgarh, State government has framed a very comprehensive and ambitious IT policy with an aim to use ICT for the benefit of all its citizens. Due to the patriarchal character of the society, however, the ability to derive equal benefits from the government schemes has been a big challenge for the Indian women.
The paper explores to what extent the women in the Indian State of Chhattisgarh have been able to access and to use e-governance initiatives, as compared their male counterparts, and how far these e-governance initiatives been able to address and include the needs of women.
The paper is divided into the following main sections:

The Indian State of Chhattisgarh
IT Scenario and IT Policy of the State
E-Governance initiatives of State Government
ICT Policies & Egovernance initiatives of the State through gender lens
Use of cyber cafe by males and females
Video Conferencing facility (Bilaspur and Durg Districts of Chhattisgarh)
Share of women in ICT related courses

Conclusion