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Antatah | Official Publication of open forum

India is largely with more than 60 per cent of our population dependent on agriculture and allied activities. It is important to address their needs with value added information. In many situations we have witnessed local knowledge coming to the rescue of major global problems. It is a fact that the knowledge base in the grassroots actually gives ways to various solutions at the global level. Similarly other global issues like the HIV AIDS, Food Security, Digital Divide, it’s the grassroots communities who can suggest appropriate strategies.

Some of the Past Issues of Antatah
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Various ICT initiatives aimed at improving access of information communication to the grassroots communities are more inclined towards pushing external information. But the fact is not all the external information provided through such initiatives is much of use to them. They are more tuned to their own information and knowledge which is local and is more relevant to their needs. It is not just the global knowledge but a balance of global and local information that helps in improving quality of life at the grassroots. Presently, no doubt, content through Information, Education and Communications programme are reaching to the communities, but not sustaining at that level. Government, Non-Government Organisations are doing their best to empower the communities with knowledge, but their withdrawal leaves the vacuum behind. No doubt, other mainstreaming media are also playing a vital role, but there is a need to reflect on how ICTs could be used for IEC and need-based content could be made available to them.

Open Forum, while promoting ICTs in the communities realized the importance of blending of local vis-à-vis global content and the unprecedented urgency and need to digitize content to reach out to rural and urban communities of india, as well as tailor the content as per the respective needs of the communities. With its more than 386 organizations - including NGOs, donors, multilateral organizations, private sector, media, academicians and governments as its partners, took the initiative of strengthening the content database for catering to these needs, but to fill-in the gap, there is a need to build content coordination mechanism.

Taking above facts into consideration Open Forum came up with a monthly publication, in Hindi at first phase and its web version. Antatah, Hindi meaning of word “At Last”, is the Official Publication of Open Forum. This would be a tool for information dissemination as to create Awareness and Sensitization of people at large.The primary aim of this initiative is to provide customized community based contents and reach to its related services for the local community. Here we will try “To create and implement a sustainable, scalable platform of entrepreneurship for enabling the development of rural economy and society through contents with the use of Information and Communications Technologies”. Objectives for this initiative were as follows:
1. To develop theory on creating and exploiting diversity in regime shifts for social development.
2. Understand critically the niche methodology: specifically, the influence, limitations and challenges faced by sustainable niches in the India, past and present.
3. Contribute to policy by stimulating debate and making recommendations about the role of sustainable niches for radical transitions toward sustainable technological regimes.

Open Forum believes that Information can be used for greater external accountability. There is now widespread recognition that if citizens are to create pressure for better services they need better information, and information that meets the three Rs: Reliable, Relevant, and Regular. There are a variety of promising initiatives. The Government of India has recently passed a Right to Information law, that creates enormous scope for citizens to know what is happening—but it is only a promise that will require support to become a vehicle for service improvements and not merely a means for political grandstanding. Open Forum is also providing a list of contents, which can also be termed as a variety of efforts to make information available from the bottom up through its Publication and web initiatives or else, existing channels—such as the Gram Sabha or user committees in various sectors—such as the non-governmental organization.

Where the contents are? Project Activities
What type of content? Coverage Area for Antatah
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