Osama Manzar
Osama Manzar is a convert social entrepreneur spearheading the mission to overcome the information barrier between India’s rural sector, and the so-called developed society, through Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) –– the not-for-profit organization founded to accomplish the mission; http://www.defindia.net.

Selected & Participated in “International Visitors Leadership Program” of USA State Department in September 2011.

He just released his 4th Book called “NetCh@kra: 15 Years of Internet in India” http://netchakra.net

He is a Member, Working Group, Internet Governance Forum of Ministry of Communication & IT and was a Member, Task Force on Growth of IT, ITES & Electronics HW Manufacturing Industry, Ministry of Comm & IT, India.

He has recently initiated a regional movement on “How Mobile can Empower Masses” through mBillionth Award South Asia, recognising and mentoring Mobile Content, Application & Services; http://mbillionth.in

In 2003 he launched India’s first ever award for choosing the best e-content practices in India and South Asia. Osama is the Chairman of the Manthan Award South Asia for “Digital Inclusion for Development”; http://www.manthanaward.org. Manthan Award has accumulated more than 2500 best e-content practices in its nomination bank from India and other south Asian countries.

He has authored titles like: “e-Content: Voices from the Ground” (http://www.econtentworldwide.org); “Internet Economy of India”; “India’s Best e-Contents”, and “Development & Digital Inclusion”.

Manzar is e-Content Expert for India for World Summit Award (WSA), Grand Jury Member and member of Board of Directors; http://www.wsis-award.org; In addition, Manzar has been Jury Anchor for the Dataquest e-Gov Champion Award, India, and for Bahrain e-Content Award, Sri Lanka’s e-Content Award & Bangladesh e-Content & ICTD Award.

He has been a part of the Professional Social Entrepreneurship Program by Social-Impact International; http://www.social-impact.org.

He has worked through Computerworld as assistant editor, head of Interactive Media Division of Hindustan Times and started a software company 4Cplus, for media publishers and quit the same to start off DEF in 2003.

He is a physics graduate and post graduate diploma in Journalism. He was awarded a joint Chevening/Young Indian IT Professional Programme 2002 Scholarship by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to study Advanced IT Management Programme at Manchester Business School, University of Manchester during 2001-2002.

Osama Manzar has been involved in the last 15 years in various level of research work, including resulted in publications/Reports like:
-     Educational Technology in India – 2005
-     Development & Digital Inclusion – Cases from South Asia
-     ICT in Education Toolkit
-     and several others.

Osama has a credit of covering at least 100 ICTD cases in India and South Asia, has traveled more than 1000 villages in India and South Asia, including 20 countries.

He can be contacted at +91-9810042862; osamam@gmail.com, osama@defindia.net

Some of the works of DEF could be seen at: www.localareaportal.org; www.gyanpedia.in; www.neerjaal.org; www.dcontent.in; www.epanchayat.in; www.engo.in;