Internet has become a very vital medium of communication and information acquisition as a result of digitisation. This was largely seen during the worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, where the duty of giving administrative support to the affected population was done efficiently using digital technology. For all the resources that the public needed, aid via digital means such as a hotline number or the Arogya Setu app proved useful. There is no denying that in this global crisis, digital technology has emerged as a strong support for millions of citizens.
Given the fact that the relevance and utilisation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) are rapidly growing, the digital divide continues to widen at an alarming rate.
What Is Digital Divide?
The Digital Divide, sometimes known as the digital split, is a social issue that refers to the disparity in access to modern information and communication technologies between those who have it and those who do not.
It depicts the inequalities in Internet and communication technology use between demographics and areas at various social, economic, and other levels.
The digital divide can exist between people who live in rural and urban areas, between educated and uneducated people, between economic strata, and on a global scale between countries that are more and less industrially developed.
Types Of Digital Divide
Despite the fact that the number of cellular customers in India has increased in recent years, the digital divide still exists. The following are the types to consider:
1. The Urban-Rural Divide
During the lockdown, the digital divide between India's rural and urban areas was not only obvious in education, but also in telemedicine, e-commerce, banking, and e-governance, all of which became only accessible through the internet.
Online classrooms, financial transactions, and e-governance all require an internet connection as well as the capacity to use internet-enabled devices such as phones, tablets, and PCs.
According to the NSO survey, the majority of Internet-enabled residences are in cities, with 42 per cent having an Internet connection. Only 15 per cent of people in rural India have access to the internet.
Only one out of every 10 Indian households has a computer, whether it's a desktop, laptop, or tablet. Almost a quarter of all houses have an Internet connection, which may be accessed using any device, including smartphones, over a fixed or mobile network.
The digital divide between urban and rural areas is evident in the country's internet penetration. According to the NSO, even in states with software centres like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Internet penetration is less than 20 per cent.
According to a survey by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the total internet density in India was 49 per cent in 2018. Rural areas accounted for 25 per cent of the population, while urban areas accounted for 98 per cent. The country had over 1,160 million wireless customers in February 2020, up from 1,010 million in February 2016, according to the latest report provided by TRAI. According to the figures, urban customers climbed by 74 million (from 579 million to 643 million) while rural subscribers increased by 86 million (from 579 million to 643 million) (from 431 million to 517 million). This suggested an increase in basic telecommunications infrastructure rather than digital advancement.
2. Gender Digital Inequalities
India has one of the greatest gender gaps in digital technology access in the world. According to the GSMA's 2020 mobile gender gap report, only 21 per cent of women in India utilise mobile internet, compared to 42 per cent of men. According to the survey, in India, 79 per cent of men own a cell phone, while only 63 per cent of women do. While there are financial constraints to owning a cellphone or laptop, cultural and social conventions also play a significant role. It is due to this disparity in mobile usage between men and women, that further lead to inequities for women, like economic prospects, access to information, and even chances for networking.
3. Intra-State Digital Divide and Regional Digital Divide
When it comes to persons who have access to computers or who know how to use the internet, states' matrices are too disparate. Southern states have a higher level of digital literacy than their northern counterparts. Kerala has the smallest gap between rural and urban areas. Uttarakhand is the state with the most computers in urban areas, whereas Kerala has the most computers in rural regions. In both rural and urban areas, Himachal Pradesh tops the country in internet connectivity. While Delhi has the best Internet access, with 55 per cent of families having access, Odisha has the worst Internet access, with only one out of every ten homes having access.
When it comes to the intra-state split, whereas urban areas are more digitally literate, rural areas in the various states lag. Kerala has the least inequality, with more than 39 per cent of the poorest rural homes having Internet access, compared to 67 per cent of the richest urban homes. Assam, on the other hand, has the most striking inequality, with nearly 80 per cent of the richest urban homes having Internet access and 94 per cent of the poorest rural homes in the state lacking access.
4. Disparity Related To Literacy/Digital Literacy
Just because someone has Internet access does not mean they can use it. Basic digital literacy was achieved by 20 per cent of Indians over the age of five. Only 40 per cent of those in the important age group of 15 to 29 years, which includes all high school and college students as well as young parents who are responsible for teaching younger children, have completed the course. More than one in every five Indians above the age of seven is still unable to read or write in any language. Literacy rates have risen from 71.7 per cent to 77.7 per cent in the recent decade, with rural women experiencing the greatest advances. A state-by-state comparison of literacy rates yields some surprising outcomes. Andhra Pradesh has the lowest literacy rate in the country, at only 66.4 per cent, much lower than less developed states like Chhattisgarh (77.3 per cent), Jharkhand (74.3 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (73 per cent), and Bihar (73 per cent) (70.9 per cent ). Kerala continues to be the most literate state, with 96.2 per cent literacy, followed by three northern states: Delhi (88.7 per cent), Uttarakhand (87.6 per cent), and Himachal Pradesh (87.6 per cent).
5. Linguistic Digital Divide
Because more than 80 per cent of the content on the Internet is written in English; places where individuals are more proficient in English, are also more digitally adept.
Effects Of Digital Divide
Educational
In India, the digital gap will have an impact on children's ability to learn and develop.
Students will not be able to develop the necessary technical skills if they do not have access to the Internet.
Social
Higher Internet penetration is linked to a country's social advancement. As a result, a country's social growth can be hindered by the digital divide. The Digital Divide in India is causing a lack of information among the rural population, which will only exacerbate the vicious cycle of poverty, deprivation, and backwardness.
Political empowerment and mobilisation are tough in the age of social media if you don't have access to the internet.
Economic Inequality
The digital divide will widen the gap between those who can afford technology and those who cannot.
Governance
Digital connectivity is required for transparency and accountability. The digital gap has a negative impact on e-governance activities.
Digital Divide And COVID-19
Around the world, technology and digital solutions have aided in the response to a variety of emergencies and disasters. In India, however, the digital divide has become yet another obstacle that individuals must overcome in order to survive the pandemic. Amid fake news and misinformation, people are attempting to transcend the technological divide to get immunizations and genuine information.
Govt Initiatives To Bridge The Digital Divide
The Indian government is taking substantial steps to improve its information and technology skills to address the country's digital divide.
The government's Digital India initiatives are aimed at improving internet access in the country, They are:
1. The BharatNet project was initiated in 2011 to connect India's villages and connect 0.25 million panchayats via an optical fibre (100 MBPS).
2. The National Digital Literacy Mission and the Digital Saksharta Abhiyan were established by the government in 2014.
3. The government announced various programmes as part of its Digital India campaign in 2015, to connect the entire country.
4. The PM Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan was launched in 2017 to bring digital literacy to 60 million rural Indian families.
5. Owing to the importance of digital literacy, India's Supreme Court has declared the ability to access the Internet as a basic right, incorporating it within Article 21 of the Constitution's right to privacy and right to education.
6. The National Education Policy, 2020 aspires to make 'India a worldwide knowledge superpower' by implementing a number of improvements in the Indian education system from elementary school to college level, with a focus on digital education.
7. Google India and Tata Trusts jointly established the Internet Saathi Program in 2015. The goal of this project is to help rural Indian women become more digitally literate.
8. The National Optical Fibre Network (NOF-N) is a project that aims to provide broadband access to over two lakh (200,000) gram panchayats across India.
9. DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing) platform is a national platform for school education that was established in September 2017 and is open to all states and the federal government for grades 1 to 12. DIKSHA is India's 'one nation; one digital platform' for school education, as part of PM eVidya, which was introduced as part of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat program.
10. Unnati Project—Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), which aims to close the digital divide in schools by providing computer education to rural pupils from low-income families.
11. Gyandoot is an Intranet-based Government to Citizen (G2C) service delivery initiative that began in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district in January 2000 with the dual goals of providing relevant information to the rural population and serving as a conduit between the district administration and the people.
12. Digital Mobile Library: The government of India, in partnership with the Centre for Advanced Computing (C–DAC) in Pune, is working to bridge the digital divide on a broader scale.
13. Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) On the SWAYAM portal, MOOC courses related to NIOS (open schooling grades 9 to 12) have been uploaded; around 92 courses have begun, with 1.5 crore students enrolled.
14. Radio broadcasting is used for children in distant locations who are not online on Air Shiksha Vani, DAISY by NIOS for differently-abled, and e-PathShala (especially for grades 1 to 5).
15. E-pathshala: Provides study resources to pupils in rural and urban areas.
Way Forward
1. Infrastructure Development
The Atmanirbhar Abhiyan, which promotes the development of indigenous information and communication technologies, can play a vital role. The objective is to promote low-cost smartphones, and we should investigate migration to new technologies such as 5G. It would help with some of the bandwidth issues. The emergence of market rivalry amongst service providers may result in lower service costs. It's worth looking into how to allocate spectrum efficiently in huge contiguous chunks.
2. Promoting Digital Literacy
At the school/college level, digital literacy requires specific attention. The National Digital Literacy Mission should concentrate on teaching fundamental digital literacy in all government schools, as well as advanced digital literacy in upper classes and institutions. Higher levels of digital literacy will boost computer hardware adoption across the country. Furthermore, there will be multiplier effects when these students educate their family members.
3. State governments should give special attention to content creation in Indian regional languages, particularly those related to government services. It is necessary to promote natural language processing (NLP) in Indian languages.
4. TRAI should consider implementing a reliable system. Call dropouts, weak signals, and outages will all be tracked by this system. It assures that telecom services are of high quality and reliable.
5. Cybersecurity
For data security, secure digital transactions, and complaint resolution, there will need to develop a complete cyber-security framework.
6. Telecom Ombudsman
The government should appoint individuals and establish a telecom ombudsman to handle complaints.
7. Regulators' Role
Regulators should modify licensing, taxes, and spectrum allocation standards to lower entry barriers.