QUALITY ENRICHMENT PROGRAMME: TARGET 2023

Under the Guidance of M K YADAV

DIGITAL INDIA:
1 BRIDGE OR DIVIDE?

Note: The aim of this document is to give varied dimensions and broad fodder points for the essay topics.
These are meant to serve only as indicative frameworks for students to build further upon. Essays are a
subjective expression of one’s point of view. So, content, context, and dimensions may change from one
person to another.

MODEL APPROACH
DEMAND OF THE TOPIC:
• Addressing the overall state of digital interactions in Indian context.
• Evaluating both the aspects ie. ‘bridge’ (mainly benefits) and ‘divides’ (its limitations) and the future
design of a reformed, and inclusive Digital India framework.

INTRODUCTION
1) Connecting Topic with a Current Event
• COVID-19 has forced the physical world to retreat, and virtual world to take over, where internet has
become more integral than ever before – In work, education, accessing health, essential services,
government benefits, staying connected with the loved ones etc.
• While the transition has been quite smooth for some who are reaping the digital dividends, the others
find themselves on the wrong side of digital transformation – the “Have nots” who are excluded,
alienated, and deprived.
OR
• Posing a question - From schools setting coursework online to office staff working from home, the
internet is the answer to many coronavirus lockdown problems. But what about the billions of people
who can't get online?
2) Starting with the concept itself:
• We live in times of sweeping change, wide in scope and dizzying in speed.
• Beyond the geopolitics of our era, the major force behind this wholesale transformation is the new
technological tsunami that envelops our planet, epitomized by the digital revolution.
• The rapid development and diffusion of the information and communication technologies (ICTs) have
fundamentally changed many aspects of life and societies around the world. ICTs, especially the Internet,
have affected the way we all live, communicate, work, study, and socialize in many ways -– this is a story
of digital possibilities.
• At the same time, when the new offers previously unimaginable opportunities, it also comes with the
potential to seriously exacerbate existing sizeable and unwanted imbalances to the point that, if not
properly addressed can create developmental deficits - this is also a story of the Digital Divide.
3) Explaining the meaning of Digital India as an introduction. For e.g. it mainly aims to transform India into
a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
4) Start with any anecdote
• E.g. How an underprivileged lady from a remote area of Chhattisgarh became successful
entrepreneur by selling tribal products online using digital technology (based on TRIBES India)

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 QUALITY ENRICHMENT PROGRAMME: TARGET 2023
Under the Guidance of M K YADAV

5) Quotes
• “I am certainly not opposed to digital technology, whose graces I daily enjoy and rely on in so many
ways. But I worry about our virtual blinders.’’- Diane Ackerman.
• “I see technology as a means to empower and as a tool that bridges the distance between hope and
opportunity.”- PM Modi.
• “We must ensure that technology is accessible, affordable and adds value.”- PM Modi.
• “In this digital age, we have an opportunity to transform the lives of people in ways that were hard to
imagine a couple of decades ago.”- PM Modi.
• “The pace at which people are taking to digital technology defies our stereotypes of age, education,
language and income.” - PM Modi.
• “E-Governance is an essential part of our dream of Digital India, the more technology we infuse in

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Governance, the better it is for India”. PM Modi.
• “Digital technology is both arousing and distancing. We don't look at the users on the other side as

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people. They aren't - they're just usernames, Facebook photos and Twitter handles”. -Douglas Rushkoff.

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• “Sharing is good, and with digital technology, sharing is easy.” -Richard Stallman

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• Technology can reinforce the global divide. Let’s use it to bridge the gap- World Economic Forum

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6) Using a report/ data/ fact
• World Economic Forum - While Billions of people are going online to stay in touch during the COVID-19

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pandemic almost half of the world’s population has no access to the internet.

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- Fewer than 1 in 5 people in the least developed countries are connected.

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- This digital divide impacts women more than men.

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• World Bank Report - While people around the world make more than 4 billion Google searches every

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day, 4 billion people still lack access to the internet.
• India’s Trillion Doller Opportunity - 2025, a Vision of MEITY - India can create up to $1 trillion of
economic value from the digital economy in 2025 ud
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FODDER POINTS FOR MAIN BODY

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Broad Outline/Essay flow

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1. Elaborating the Idea of Digital India

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2. Relevance in today’s time.

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3. Where are we standing currently/ initiatives/ efforts/ and strengths?

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4. Digital India - As a bridge.

5. Digital India - As a divide: Stark paradoxes.
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6. Conclusion/ Way ahead.

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1. Describing the Idea of Digital India

“Digital India: Power to Empower”
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• ‘21st century is a digital century’ and Digital India is the NEXT BIG THING that India is witnessing.
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• It is a dream scheme of government of India aimed at profoundly touching the lives of everyone with
the transformation travelling the paths of both rural and urban India.
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• Digital India is a bridge between digital “haves and not-haves”

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• Vision/Idea of Digital India

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 QUALITY ENRICHMENT PROGRAMME: TARGET 2023
Under the Guidance of M K YADAV

Development of secure and stable Delivering government services Universal Digital Literacy
digital infrastructure digitally

• Mission’s Focus - to use Technology to create a participative, transparent and responsive government.
•

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Brief overview of Nine pillars of Digital India: Broadway highways, universal access to mobile

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connectivity, public internet access programme, e-Governance, e-Kranti electronic delivery of services,
Information for all, Electronics manufacturing, IT for jobs, Early harvest programmes.

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• Digital India sets pace for a makeover that shall change the face of the entire nation, impacting cities,

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towns, village everywhere.

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2. Digital India: Relevance in today’s time:

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• Each and every ordinary citizen should be part of “DIGITAL INDIA STORY, “Because A chain is only as

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strong as its weakest link.”
• Enhancing connectivity: which will help in dealing with developing nation’s dilemma’s like poverty,

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inequality, regional disparities

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• People centric Good governance: eg. Implementation various DBT schemes

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• Inclusive growth: eg. tele- education/ tele medicine for far flung areas.
• Increasing automation.
• Increasing innovation in Indian Economy.
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• This idea is aligned with upcoming new technologies like- AI, robotics, etc.
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3. Where are we standing currently/ initiatives/ efforts/ strengths: (indicative list)

• Infrastructure: Aadhaar, Bharat broadband network, CERT-In, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana,
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Digital Saksharta Abhiyan, DIGILOCKER, eSign, GARV app, GeM, Meghraj cloud, Single Window Interface
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For Trade (SWIFT)

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• Services: Accessible India Campaign, Agrimarket app, BHIM app, CCTNS, e-Granthalaya, e- Pathshala, e-
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Panchayat, e-Biz, e-NAM, e-Prison, e-VISA, GSTN, HIMMAT app(Delhi police), Khoya- paya portal,
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MADAD app, mKISAN, National Service Portal, etc.

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• Citizens’ empowerment: PM-JAY, NREGASOFT, MY GOV app, Arogya setu app, PAHAL (DBT), PM-
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GDISHA, SMART CITIES, GST, etc.

• Others - Digital Delivery of services, Common Service center, BPO movement for smaller towns,
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Electronic manufacturing Units, Secure cyber space – Cyber Swachhata Kendra Etc.
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• Special/ state/ local examples: for eg.

1) The Gyandoot Project: It is the first ever project in India for a rural information network in the Dhar
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district of Madhya Pradesh which has the highest percentage of tribes and dense forest. The project was
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designed to extend the benefits of information technology to people in rural areas by directly linking
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the government and villagers through information kiosks.

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2) Sourkaryan and E–Seva: Project of the government of Andhra Pradesh to provide the facility for a
citizen to pay property taxes online.
• You may add more to the list

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 QUALITY ENRICHMENT PROGRAMME: TARGET 2023
Under the Guidance of M K YADAV

4. Digital India-as a Bridge:

“Little drops make the mighty ocean!” and “Small digital bridges will create Digital India for all”
• “Digital India is designed to bridge digital divide of Haves and have-nots and it must bring in digital
inclusion” – Sh. Ravishankar Prasad, Minister of IT
• Digital India means technology from the classes to the technology for the masses. DI is envisaged as
national non-discriminatory infrastructure.
• DI induced Increased Digital adoption
- Digital Adaptation among business world, public and private sectors are both propelling digital
consumption growth.
- >570 million active Internet users ➔ driven by rural internet growth and usage ➔ internet
penetration increased to 50%
- Internet usage: Nearly 70% of active Internet users in India are daily users.

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- Device of Choice for accessing internet – 99% of both urban & rural user access internet through

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Mobiles.

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- India has 2nd largest number of instant messaging service (eg. WhatsApp) users worldwide, behind

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China

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- Largest Social Media Users

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- India is the fastest growing application market and the largest market in terms of app downloads,

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as of 2019
- India is among the top 3 global economies in number of digital consumers

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- Monthly mobile data consumption per user has grown by more than 54 times since 2016

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➔significantly higher than China and comparable to digital leaders like South Korea

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• India’s Digital Economy - India can create up to $1 trillion of economic value from the digital economy

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in 2025 ➔ benefits percolating down to the bottom rung.
• In India, the Aadhar Digital Identification System has already reached more than 1 billion people,
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enabling many of the poor to access services more easily and saving the government billions each year
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by reducing corruption and waste. - World Development Report 2016
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• Digital technologies have promoted inclusion, efficiency and innovation in Indian society.
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• An optical fibre network of more than 2, 50, 000 km has connected over 1.15 lakh Gram Panchayats
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under the Bharat Net programme.

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• Access points - A Common Service Center (CSC) is created under the National e-Governance Project of
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the Indian government which provides access for information and communication technology (ICT).
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• New digital ecosystems are already visible, reshaping consumer-producer interactions in agriculture,
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healthcare, retail, logistics, and other sectors. You can give a few examples in each sector.
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• In agriculture and rural development –

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- Precision farming [using GIS-based soil, weather and water data] ➔ climate smart agriculture ➔
increased productivity & farm incomes.
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- Mobile & Internet based farm-extension and information services eg. m-Kisan, Kisan Suvidha App,
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Kisan TV, ITC- e-choupal, Aaqua, IFFCO agri portal, Mahindra Kisan Mitra, e Agriculture project (by
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eKutir in Odisha), Kisan Call Centres etc.

- Online trading platforms such as e- NAM and e-commerce platforms can ensure access to price
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information, national and international markets, commodity trading markets etc.

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- Agri insurance (PMFBY) can be provided in a more streamlined manner using DBT, ICT enabled crop
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loss assessment, real time online monitoring of fund allocations etc.

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- Digitization of land records for better maintenance and transfer of land titles.
• Manufacturing - Facilitating end-to-end digital supply chains, e-enabled trade, and e-commerce to reach
all consumers and producers ➔ especially beneficial to MSME, and local artisan who can now sell their
products online via e commerce

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 QUALITY ENRICHMENT PROGRAMME: TARGET 2023
Under the Guidance of M K YADAV

• Education and Skill Formation –

- 24*7 access to E-learning resources – for eg. e-pathshala that provides online textbooks, audio,
video, and periodicals; National Digital Library (NDL) etc.
- Skill development, Vocational training, and Employability - People who do not have chance to
receive traditional college degrees from top institutions can now earn certificates from MOOCs
(SWAYAM) offered by the world’s top institutions.
- Increasing access to trainers and mentors - Live interaction with faculty via chat, e-mail or phone
call, VSAT, mobile apps, Skype.
- Improved learning outcomes - Makes learning interesting, interactive and easy to comprehend
complex subjects for eg. Videos/online media, Interactive Whiteboards, Digital games, etc
• Healthcare

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- Tech enabled Remote Health Services – tele – consultation, tele – medicine, e- hospitals, health

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call centres etc.

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- Quality healthcare - Real time data sharing about patients to get the best possible solutions for eg.

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National Health Stack, Universal Electronic Health Record etc.

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- Health Awareness – For eg. National Health Portal (NHP) that provides health related information

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to citizens and stakeholders in different languages. Kilkari application to deliver free weekly audio

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messages about pregnancy, child birth & care.

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- Health/Disease Surveillance - Mother & Child Tracking System (MCTS)

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- Digital Health insurance - eg. National Health Protection Scheme for paperless, cashless health
service delivery.

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- Capacity Development of Healthcare Workers – For eg. Mobile Academy which is a free audio

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training course for ASHAs. Digital Apps that allow health-workers with modest skills to carry out
basic protocols Eg. LaQshay. ud
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- Pandemic Control – For eg. COVID tracking & data dissemination Apps like Aarogya Setu,
CORONTINE (to track Asymptomatic carriers, by IIT Bombay), Saiyam App (for Home Quarantines,
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Pune Municipal Corporation), AI enabled MyGov Corona Helpdesk (Chatbox by JioHaptik with
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Whatsapp), Sahyog (helping community worker carry out door-to-surveys, contact tracing,
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deliveries of essential items, public awareness etc)

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• Local Governance – Panchayats are the 1st level of government interaction and cater to roughly 70% of
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the population. IT has served as an enabler of people, businesses and government.

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- Promoting transparency & accountability in governance through suo motu disclosures on websites.
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- Dissemination of internal processes of Panchayats like agenda, voting and resolutions.

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- Better accounting of finances.

- Geo-Tagging of assets under MGNREGS.
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- Sharing of best practices and joint implementation of tasks like creation of watersheds, pooling land
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for introducing mechanization, collective solutions for pest and drought control etc.
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• Less-Cash Economy through Digital Payments – Fast & Convenient mode of payment - including a
reduction in transaction cost of carrying & doing business. For eg. BHIM, UPI, *99#, Credit/Debit card,
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Paytm etc. Eases burden on banking sector.

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• Seamless Information dissemination- Social media and online content make it easier than ever to gain
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instant access to news and views, while technology’s ubiquitous presence has opened countless new
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career avenues for “no collar” digital natives. Information bulletin during Pandemic, Mass Disaster,
Terror attacks etc.

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 QUALITY ENRICHMENT PROGRAMME: TARGET 2023
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• Tourism – Tourism as a sector accounts for around 10% of the world’s GDP and 9% of the world’s jobs
➔ employment intensive sector. Online enquiries, bookings, payments, and ratings, Brand promotion
and marketing etc.
• Disaster Management – IT has been used successfully for mitigation as well as adaptation measures
• Proliferation of Digital applications across the sectors of India’s economy – for eg. FinTech in financial
sector promoting financial inclusion.
5. Digital India as a Divide (Major contradictions/ paradoxes)
“Still a long way to Reach to the last person standing in the line”
• What is a Digital divide? A digital divide is any uneven distribution in the access to, use of, or impact of
information and communications technologies between any number of distinct groups, which can be
defined based on social, geographical, or geopolitical criteria, or otherwise.

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• Digital technologies have become vital. In times of crisis, from natural disasters to pandemics, digital

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connectivity is what is keeping people, governments and businesses connected. Yet half of the world’s

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population is still without internet access, with the vast majority concentrated in developing countries.

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(World Bank)

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• This divide is evident on fronts of 5As - Access, Availability, Affordability, Awareness and Abilities to

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utilise it! ➔ It is visible not only between countries but within countries and social groups as well.
• OR one can use this divide at the level of - Rural- Urban level, gender level, Age level (usually old citizens

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are not that aligned with digital skills/ lacking abilities), Disabled people e.g. blind person might have

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access to a smartphone but might not have availability of required and suitable software’s to utilise it.

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class level, caste level utilising the same examples ➔ Digital inequality reinforces existing social

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inequality.

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- Rural Urban divide - According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, in 2019, total Internet
density in the country stood at about 49%. Of that, 25 percent lived in rural areas and 98 percent
in urban areas! ud
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- Rich Poor divide - Recent suicide of a DU student, newspapers’ headline was Digital divide drove
it to suicide. The student and her family were not able to arrange a laptop for her ONLINE CLASSES.
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They were even struggling to manage her DATA PACK charges to access those classes on her phone.
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- India has among the world’s highest gender gaps in access to technology. Only 21 percent of
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women in India are mobile internet users, according to GSMA’s 2020 Mobile Gender Gap Report
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(2019), while 42 per cent of men have access. The report says that while 79 percent of men own a
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mobile phone in the country, the number for women is 63 percent.

• Access to electricity is crucial for digital education, both for powering devices as well as for connecting
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to the internet. A nationwide survey of villages by the Ministry of Rural Development in 2017-18, showed
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that only 47 percent households received more than 12 hours of power supply daily.
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• Lack of Basic Digital literacy (NSO, 2017-18)

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- Low digital literacy - 10% of Indian population

- Above the age of 5 years: Only 20% of Indians had basic digital literacy
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- In Critical age group of 15 to 29 years: Only 40% of Indians

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• Poor Quality reserved for the Poor – low speed, low reliability, no last mile connectivity
• Exclusion Error- those without access to technology are being excluded from welfare schemes,
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discussion in the first place.

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• Experience of COVID- It Exposed the wide chasm between the connected and the unconnected,
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revealing just how far behind many are on digital uptake.

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• Divide in Chief- Social media, TV debates, even TV programmes intended to entertain, focus on the
division and issues that move us further away from each other ➔ societal divides
• Tapping the divides for nefarious purposes - Terror attack and Terror Financing, Online radicalisation
(by ISIS in different part of world including in India), Internal security issue- Delhi Riots, Bangalore arson,

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 QUALITY ENRICHMENT PROGRAMME: TARGET 2023
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Rise of sub nationalism using propaganda from digital spaces, Cyber Bullying, Pornographic content and
exposure of it to children, Online Paedophilia ( recently a group of Delhi teenagers arrested for posting
morphed explicit pics over group chats) , Cyber Extortion- Ransomware , DeepFakes, Impersonation,
Online identity theft, Drug abuse- Online sell of Drug using Darkweb ( Recently at least 4/5 such cases in
news), Excessive use of Social media by Teenager, Depression and cases of Suicide, addiction of Social
media, Anxiety
• Financial Frauds- Bank frauds, ATM scamming, Online payment frauds. E.g.- Jamtara I Jharkhand is
notorious for online fraud activities, Drug abuse to online disinformation on drug consumption.

6. Conclusion/ Way Forward:

“Time to turn divides into dividends”
• The road towards DIGITAL INDIA for ALL is challenging but not impossible.

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• “Working on the limitations” and “Augmenting Strengths”

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• Speeding up the ongoing efforts and initiatives is the need of the hour.

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• Leveraging Mobile Connectivity, Boosting Welfare policies

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• Broadband connectivity

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• Digital literacy

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• Content in Indian languages

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• Ease of doing business- Connected Economy, leveraging e-commerce technology for Government

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procurement, Transparent and ease of buying
• Secure cyber-space- Robust Safety, Security & Privacy Framework

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• A “SUPPORTIVE”, “ENABLING” and “INCLUSIVE” “Non-Discriminatory Access for All’ ecosystem is

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needed to drive the implementation of accessible digital technologies.

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• To sum up, we (as a nation) are not striving for absolute equal digital space for all (relative gap will
remain there), but YES, everybody should have a “MINIMUM SHARE and SPACE” in “DIGITAL INDIA”
and ultimately in “NEW INDIA”!
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Under the Guidance of M K YADAV

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 QUALITY ENRICHMENT PROGRAMME: TARGET 2023
Under the Guidance of M K YADAV

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