Saptarshi Nag
The digital age presents a double-edged sword. While urban centres flourish with advanced technology and internet access, rural communities struggle to bridge the digital divide. This lack of access creates a significant barrier to education, healthcare, and economic progress, further widening the social gap. The digital divide is the gap created by unequal access to modern telecommunications technology among different demographic groups and regions. This can include inequalities in access to computers, smartphones, and the internet.
When the term “digital divide” was first used in the late 20th century, it described the gap between those with cell phone access and those without it. The term has since expanded to include the technical and financial ability to use available technology and access the internet. However, the meaning of the “digital divide” is constantly shifting with the development of technology.
In India, this ‘Divide’ is far more prominent than other developing nations. The digital divide in the access and usage of ICTs and the internet has also led to an exclusionary consequence in three sectors of utmost significance: education, health and finance. In a country plagued by high socioeconomic inequality, the digitalisation process cannot be posited as the panacea for the inherent challenges of the physical world. It becomes particularly problematic when half of the population neither has access to gadgets and the internet or the technological know-how to move to a digital environment. In such circumstances, the digitalisation process becomes unequal, favouring the digitally connected while excluding the rest, and in certain cases, exacerbating the already existing inequalities.
India, the largest democracy and the most populous nation in the world having a population of almost 1.4 billion people, out of which approximately 350 million people are uneducated and only a paltry percentage of the people have access to the internet. But surprisingly, despite such demoralizing numbers, India presently serves as one of the worlds’ leading IT hubs. Though superficially, this might seem to be paradoxical, in reality, there is a lot more to it. Digitalization and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) serve as the basis of modern society. The development of ICTs and the rapid pace of digitalization have necessitated multiple social, economic, and environmental changes globally. While on India is happy to go cashless and order daily consumable items by just a click, the other India continues to suffer from the plight of poverty, illiteracy both academic and digital, hunger and alienation from the rest of India.
The reasons behind such divide are not hard to find. While poverty, lack of education, lack of intent, poor infrastructure, lack of electrification, improper connectivity, difficult terrains all contribute to such gap, the implications of this divide are even more concerning. Socio-economic immobility, rising unemployment, denial of access to basic amenities and several government schemes, digital fraud for the newbies, increasing socio-economic and digital inequality, unfulfillment of potential of a substantial share of a population are to name a few. Unfortunately, almost every government schemes are today being implemented through digital platforms. Every beneficiary must be digitally incorporated in the databases to have access to the facilities the Central or the state Governments are providing. However, as the beneficiaries mostly are digitally illiterate especially in the rural areas, they are often misled and cheated by unscrupulous middlemen. While the deserving is left uncared for, the shrewd undeserving lot takes the advantage of digital knowledge. This leads to widespread corruption at the grassroot level.
Addressing the digital divide is crucial to unlock India’s economic potential and promote social equality. Government initiatives like the National Digital Literacy Mission and the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan have been introduced to increase digital literacy. National Education Policy, 2020 also aims at making “India a global knowledge superpower” by introducing several changes from the school to college level in the Indian education system with special emphasis on digital education. However, there is a need to ramp up efforts to improve digital infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, and ensure physical access to ICT for all sections of society.
Further, underprivileged groups need to be motivated to incorporate technology into their daily lives, and digital skills must be imparted to bridge the gap. Stronger regulation and efforts to reduce the cost of Edtech products can improve access to online education. Initiatives like the NDHM (National Digital Health Mission) should be accompanied by measures to enhance digital infrastructure and promote digital literacy to ensure the effective delivery of healthcare services.
India has grand growth aspirations, but bridging India’s digital divide is crucial for inclusive growth and to harness the full potential of technology. By addressing disparities in internet usage, mobile ownership, and access to digital services, India can create a more equitable society and unlock economic opportunities for all its citizens.
While AI (Artificial Intelligence) is defining the new age, for a substantial part of Indian population, the A and the I should start with Am I digitally literate?
