A US-India Partnership on Open Government

On Nov 7, President Barack Obama attended what is likely the first ever Expo on Democracy and Open Government. India's dynamism in the technology sector is well known, as is Gandhi's legacy in India of civic action and bottom-up change, but the expo highlighted something very fresh: Indian civil society's harnessing of innovation and technology to strengthen India's democracy -- by fighting corruption, holding government officials accountable, and empowering citizens to be the change they seek.

In support of this effort, the White House announced an initial commitment of approximately $1 million to support the work of Indian civil society in sharing their best practices abroad, with a matching commitment of in-kind assistance by Sam Pitroda that will harness India's technical expertise to assist governments in harnessing technology, improving services, and enhancing democratic accountability.

[Power is Senior Director and Special Assistant for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights]