It is time to address the problem digital divide in the country and requires special, urgent and focused efforts of the Government of India. Elaborate (200 Words)
Refer - Financial Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 3 years
KEY POINTS
· Absence of digital literacy, or the inability to use a computer, device or smartphone, is the second reason for lack of access to digital technology.
· If we do not rapidly make investments to make India 5G ready, inability to roll out the latest technology will become another obstacle to providing state of the art digital services to most.
· The pandemic has further magnified the adverse consequences of this divide. Only about 15% of government schools have broadband connections and about 40% have tablets or computers.
· During the recent second wave of Covid 19, the upper and middle classes in urban areas had access to tele-consultation and could voice their distress on social media.
· The CoWIN platform for vaccination, commendable by itself, stands out as a striking example of inequity as only the digitally savvy can use this application.
· The Universal Service Obligation Fund of the Telecom department alone is inadequate to finance this expenditure.
· To design and construct digital highways, their rural branches, and ensure their optimum utilisation by sharing the infrastructure, an empowered entity needs to be set up which is accountable for quality and timeliness.
· Connectivity, devices and handholding assistance of trained persons at village service centres, schools and clinics is imperative.
