Information literacy initiatives in India with special reference to emerging knowledge economy

Abstract

Knowledge economy in India has emerged since 1990s with the advent of liberalization and globalization of Indian economy. Since then many Indian corporate organizations established their presence outside the country, forming an informal India Inc. in competing globally. The information infrastructure situation in India has also improved a lot since 1990s, not only in the corporate organizations that exploit knowledge resources for the profit making, but also in the public institutions that generate knowledge for the development of all aspects of society and humanity. Judicious use of information resources, available now mainly in the public institutions, especially in the higher educational and research institutions, should be measured in terms of information literacy of the stakeholders. Information literacy is required for effective use, consumption and assessment of information resources available in the institutions. Information literacy can also bridge the gap between digital divide that we observe in many grass-root level initiatives in India in the forms of ‘village knowledge centres’, ‘community information centres’, ‘e-choupals’, ‘gyandoot’, etc. ushered in with the participation of NGOs, developmental agencies and corporate organizations. Present study explores various initiatives in India that address information literacy in maximizing utilization of knowledge resources. This study also focuses on the various initiatives undertaken by different institutions, starting from the elementary level to the higher educational level, professional societies and other organizations.