Opportunities and Challenges the Telecentres identified and how it addressed those barriers? Telecentres are in the process of transformation where they are moving away from the conventional mode of providing only ICT facilities to providing access to information and knowledge for education, employment, medication and health and government services to the user community. As a result, communities are willing to share the cost of information. However, financial sustainability of knowledge hubs and cost sharing for information are issues to poorer communities. Transformation of telecentres to knowledge networks has opened many opportunities for the poor in terms of them being able to earn more income due to timely availability of information. Access to government services and medical care has become convenient and use of Internet for livelihood support is becoming popular. Although the establishment of knowledge hubs has made life easier for users, sustainability of services beyond the project period is a serious concern. Therefore, the next step in the transformation process would be to align with existing knowledge networks. While some knowledge hubs have already established contacts with agriculture marketing and medical knowledge networks, a systematic approach could improve access to appropriate information and ensure sustainability. Figure 1 Stages of telecentre transformaon A review of the literature in the field of Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD) shows that while telecentres are viewed as contributing positively to development in general, they are largely not really seen as a space for catalysing transformative social change. Instead, there remains in the notion of telecentres for development a perpetuation of market-led approaches, wherein telecentres are viewed as a strategic means for expanding markets in rural areas, especially for corporates. In this approach, poor communities are repositioned as an opportunity for business; with ICTs as the most effective way of connecting them to the global market system. This results in commodification of the disadvantaged sections, overlooking the potential of telecentres to serve as a tool for equitable and participatory development. A critical question for telecentre related policies and programmes therefore examines how ICTs can trigger structural- institutional changes that promotes overall human development, going beyond exclusive market frameworks. Providing basic ICT facilies Providing basic ICT facilies Knowledge hub Knowledge hub Align with exisng knowledge networks Align with exisng knowledge networks