Internet is out of the reach of nearly 950 million Indians
Posted on: 27/Dec/2016 11:09:41 AM
According to Assocham-Deloitte joint study Mobile data plans in India are among the cheapest in the world and the average retail price of smartphones are steadily declining, yet the Internet is out of the reach of nearly 950 million Indians.
India currently has about 350 million internet users, second only to China.
In order to increase internet literacy, existing government infrastructure assets should be further leveraged for provision of digital services at remote locations. Digital literacy needs to be increased by providing institutional trainings in schools, colleges and universities; accelerating partnerships with global technology leaders and using the workforce trained under Skill India to impart trainings.
India has over 1,600 languages and various dialects. This diversity has resulted in strong language barriers. In areas where people only use local languages, integration of local language and technology is required to drive digital literacy.
Skill training and digital literacy should be introduced as part of institutional trainings in schools, colleges and universities across India. Curriculum and interactive programmes should be mandated to ensure adequate digital skills of all graduates. Skill building for Digital India Building skills required to achieve the Digital India vision.
