Abstract

Akshaya is a Kerala Government initiated project for the purpose of enhancing the speed of e-literacy, in public especially in rural areas through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) entrepreneurship programme. Akshaya Telecentres addresses as the information communication access point to the public, one for every 1000 families living in two or three municipal or panchayat wards. The project was launched on November 2002 with the model of social entrepreneurship as an initiative to provide equitable access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) throughout the state. This project has involved in setting up of Telecentres across Kerala. A Telecentre is a community centre that offers shared access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for the purpose of community level development and poverty reduction. Telecentres have to function like any other enterprise with an objective to achieve Sustainability. This study was conducted in order to assess the present status of Akshaya Telecentres in Kerala. The relevant dimensions and subsequent content areas of entrepreneurial competencies vary by the nature of entrepreneurial task and context within which they are performed. The study shows what is known about Telecentre entrepreneurs in terms of demographics, psychological, work behavior and competencies. In addition to the competencies of the entrepreneur, Telecentres require effective and dynamic organisational arrangements. Such arrangements are required for mobilising, organizing, utilizing, developing and protecting resources.