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DiSTO India

 India Context

The digitally disconnected are often also the most marginalized communities, who have been excluded from reaping the benefits of digitalization.

Amitabh Behar, Oxfam India

 Photo by Saloni Panchal 
  • Only 57.1 per cent of the male population and 33.3 per cent of the female population in India had ever used the internet, indicating a gender gap in internet usage. (Source National Family Health Survey 2019-21).
  • The Ministry of Education has stressed that the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020, inter alia, emphasises digital literacy, coding, and computational thinking in its suggested curricula. Keeping in view the availability of digital infrastructure, the government issued the Pragyata Guidelines on Digital Education in July 2020. (National Education Policy- 2020).

INDIA-Photo by USAID on Pixnio

Photo by USAID
  • Skill development and creating skilled talent is an important mission to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to reap the benefits of the growing digital economy of India’s workforce. The Digital India Programme and the National Digital Literacy Mission are key initiatives.
  • There is a plethora of third-sector and commercial organisations thinking about measurement and interventions to understand and tackle digital inequalities- Digital India Corporation, Centre for Digital Financial Inclusion, DEF India, Internet and Mobile Association of India, among others.
  • As per UN’s e-participation index (2022), a composite measure of three important dimensions of e-government, namely provision of online services, telecommunication connectivity and human capacity, India ranks 61 out of 193 nations.

india-Reading a newspaper in India (Photo by Bo Nielsen, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Photo by Bo Nielsen, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
  • Based on National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data, only 4.4 per cent of rural households own computers, out of which only 14 per cent have a computer with an internet connection.
  • While 42% of urban households have a computer with an internet connection, the same is available to only 14.9% of rural households. (Government of India).

Social Challenges
  • Gender Gap: There is a significant gender gap in digital literacy rates, with male literacy rates being much higher than female literacy rates (Social Policy Research Foundation). This is a result of social norms and biases that limit women's access to digital technologies. Women are 30% less likely than men to own a mobile phone, and only a third of India's Internet users are women (Oxfam).
  • Urban-rural inequalities: Digital inequalities between urban and rural areas represent a significant challenge in India. Rural areas lack basic digital infrastructure and have limited access to internet services, which hinders the growth of digital literacy and engagement with digital technologies. (Social Policy Research Foundation).

Cultural Challenges
  • Language Barriers: India has a diverse cultural landscape with many different languages spoken across the country. This poses a challenge for digital literacy and engagement as many digital services are available only in English (Oxfam).
  • Traditional Mindset: Many communities in India still view digital technologies with suspicion and scepticism, which makes them hesitant tothe engage further with digital technologies.

Economic Challenges
  • Affordability: Digital technologies can be expensive, and many people in India cannot afford them. This is particularly true for people in rural areas, where incomes are lower and digital infrastructure is limited.
  • Unequal Distribution of Wealth: The unequal distribution of wealth in India means that the implementation of digital technologies can be quite expensive, and not everyone has the means to invest in them.

Research Activities 

Publications

Adhikari, S., Banerjee, A., Helsper, E.J., Singh. K, & Selvan, Arul, K.S. (November, 2023) Digital Inclusion and Empowerment in India report. DiSTO project report.

Research Team
Arul Servan ed

Prof. K S Arul Selvan

Professor and Director at the School of Journalism and New Media Studies (SOJNMS), IGNOU, New Delhi.

Currently, Prof. Arul Selvan is coordinating master's degree programmes at SOJNMS. Additionally, he coordinates three SWAYAM (E-learning portal of Ministry of Education, Govt of India) based MOOC courses:  Media and Information Literacy for Teachers, Media, Information and Empowerment and Digital Media. Currently, Prof. K S Arul Selvan is serving as an editor for the research journal "IGNOU Journal of Media and Empowerment."

Prof. Arul Selvan has 18 years of media education experience in the Indian University system. Prior to that, he was associated with the South Asian Online Journalism programme of the BBC World Service Trust as a trainer, mentor and project coordinator.

 

Policy and Development Advisory Group (PDAG) India Team

Website: https://pdag.in/

E-mail: connect@pdag.in

Twitter: @Pdag_india

 

Arindam Banerjee ed

Arindam Banerjee

Co-Founder and Partner

Policy and Development Advisory Group

A UK Government Chevening Scholar, Arindam is the Co-founder and Partner at PDAG, a social enterprise working across public policy advisory and research and strategic communications.

Arindam has nearly 13 years of experience working across some of India’s most complex, underserved, and underdeveloped regions, closely with senior policymakers, researchers and civil society organisations.

He holds a Master’s in Public Policy (MPP) from the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. He also holds an M.A. in Media and Cultural Studies from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai.

At PDAG, he currently oversees strategic partnerships with state governments, academic institutes and multilateral institutions.

He has also written extensively across global and national platforms, journals and edited volumes on governance, gender, conflict, sports for social development, migration and politics.

 

Kunal Singh ed

Kunal Singh

Lead – Research & Research Operations

Policy and Development Advisory Group

With nearly ten years of expertise in social research, Kunal currently serves as the Lead - Research and Research Operations at PDAG. In this role, he is responsible for leading and coordinating research activities, as well as managing the overall research operations of the organisation.

Before joining PDAG, Kunal completed his Master's degree in Survey Methods for Social Research at the Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex. His educational background has equipped him with advanced knowledge and skills in conducting surveys and analysing social research data, making him a valuable asset to the field of social research and policy development.

 

Sourav Adhikari ed

Sourav Adhikari

Sourav Adhikari is a data science engineer with five years of experience in the public policy research and social impact space. Currently, he leads the Data Solutions vertical at PDAG. His interests include geospatial analysis, systems design, and visualisation for knowledge communication.

 

 

 

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India symposium

Digital Inclusion and Empowerment. July 24-25, New Delhi
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Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) School of Journalism and New Media Studies
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PDAG Policy and Development Advisory Group - New Delhi