Latest news with #PradhanMantriGraminDigitalSakshartaAbhiyan
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
WTD 2025: Need for multi-faceted strategies to reduce digital gender divide in India
The theme for World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) 2025 references the immediate need to address gender inequality in digital spaces, so that women can also benefit from and contribute to digital transformation. The Union Budget 2025-26 indicates a new dawn for rural India's transformation prioritising and ensuring a dignified life for the people of rural India. The budget acknowledges the gender divide and outlines a strong emphasis on gender inclusion, focussing on key areas such as, employment generation, women empowerment and infrastructure development in rural India. A prime example of that would be the Bharatnet Project, which aims to provide unrestricted access to broadband connectivity, ensuring internet access in rural areas. The increased budgetary allocation for rural digital development can be strategised to prioritise digital literacy, specifically targeting women. Bridging the Rural-Urban Divide in Digital India Under the Digital India Initiative, the government has taken several initiatives to connect not only metros but also tier 2 and tier 3 cities as well as rural and remote areas. As per reports, India has over 650 million smartphone users and more than 1 billion internet subscribers, led by the roll-out of 5G and 4G networks, significantly improving internet speeds and connectivity in urban and rural areas. Yet, India continues to have the largest number of unconnected persons that include women, the rural population and children. The exclusion is deeply intertwined with socio-economic factors such as existing disparities in access and opportunities, compounded by issues of limited digital literacy and low per capita income, creating formidable obstacles in the inclusion and empowerment of women in the transformation of digital technologies. Efforts to Empower Women through Technology Technology has democratised access to education and skill development, ensuring women can now acquire new skills and pursue advanced degrees. The eSanjeevani programme has proved one of the most successful undertakings as it has improved quality of life by facilitating quicker, cheaper and high-quality health services, including enabling patients in rural/isolated communities to get outpatient services within the confines of their homes to provide safer 'provider-to-patient' consultations. Digital Tools facilitate Financial Inclusion of Women According to a Women's World Banking report, services like Unified Payment Interface (UPI) have significantly improved women's access to essential services and opportunities, especially by offering a transformative opportunity for women entrepreneurs, fostering financial inclusion. The government has implemented several other initiatives to ensure empowerment of women and girls in educational, social, economic and political spheres through various schematic interventions aiming for digital literacy. The Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan under Digital India programme, focuses on digital literacy training, enabling rural citizens to operate computers, send/receive emails and browse internet to empower women. It aims to bridge the digital divide with the rural population including the marginalised sections of society, women and girls by covering 6 crore rural households. At the 2023 UN Session, India announced that about 123 million girls are enrolled in programmes that promote science and technology education in schools, while other initiatives seek to train rural women and those from marginalised segments of society to use mobile phones and other critical tools. Challenges to Transforming India: Exclusion of Women from Digital Spaces Internet usage in India has quadrupled in the last decade. However, this wave of progress has not been gender neutral, as women from India continue to face numerous barriers to online access. Cultural norms and systemic discrimination, including casteism, patriarchy, and economic disparity have all played a role in widening the gender gap in digital access and literacy. As per the Mobile Gender Gap Report 2024, the GSMA reports that mobile phones serve as the primary means of internet access for women in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The report indicates that access to mobile internet has had a transformative effect on women, enabling connectivity and access to essential services such as healthcare, education, and financial resources. The data reports a 14% gender gap in access to mobile internet for women and men in LMICs. However, in the South Asian region, the gender gap is at 32%. As per the United Nations World Population Prospects 2024, statistics indicate that in an LMIC like India, where women form about 48% of the population, their participation in the growth of digital economy is nearly half as that of men, especially in rural India, owing to a pronounced divide in access to the internet for men over women. Opportunities for an Inclusive Digital Transformation To reduce the digital gender gap, a multi-faceted approach is required. The Bharatnet initiative has ensured internet connectivity to even remote villages and rural areas. Initiative like the Digital Subscriber Line network equipment helps deliver high-speed internet connectivity, enabling the delivery of digital literacy and skill training initiatives. In 2023, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women estimated that about $1 trillion could be added to the GDP of a lower-middle-income nation by ending the exclusion of women from the digital sphere. 2.6 billion people, mostly women and girls, remain unconnected due to gaps in access, affordability, and lack of digital skills. Bridging this divide is crucial for economic growth, innovation, and sustainable development. (DISCLAIMER: Views expressed are the author's personal)
Hindustan Times
15-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
India's telecom sector as champion of digital equality
Telecommunication services have emerged as a truly transformative force today. This has not only changed the way we interact with one another but have also contributed to the creation of a digitally connected society. Although this digital transformation is occurring at a rapid pace, a large section of women, especially in rural areas, still remain untouched by its benefits. While it has enabled more women to access education, acquire skills, take up entrepreneurship and become self-sufficient, the digital gender gap remains a serious concern that needs to be addressed promptly. According to the GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report 2023, women in India are 30% less likely than men to use mobile internet-a gap wider than the global average of 19%. More than a third of Indian women who own a mobile phone still do not use it to access the internet. This highlights a deeper challenge that access isn't just about infrastructure, but also about empowering women with the knowledge, tools and freedom to go online. These barriers to digital inclusion for women in India are complex and deeply rooted. Affordability remains a significant challenge; only about 20% of girls aged 14-18 in rural areas own a smartphone, compared to nearly 44% of boys in the same age group, reflecting how women are often deprioritised for device access within households. Digital literacy also lags behind given that just one in three women in India have ever used the internet, compared to 57% of men, with urban-rural divides further widening this gap. India's telecom revolution has delivered far more than just faster speeds. With a combination of policy support, sustained investments and homegrown innovation, the sector has worked to make digital tools more accessible and affordable. Competitive tariffs, low-cost data plans and the widespread availability of mobile services have helped bring millions of previously disconnected citizens online. Even the government's vision of Digital India has provided a major push in expanding internet access and digital literacy, especially in rural and semi-urban areas. However, this would not have been possible without the efforts of telecom operators, who have not only built the physical infrastructure but also created practical, scalable solutions to help bridge the digital divide. India's digital journey is fundamentally about enhancing lives, with women emerging as key agents of change. The Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) has been instrumental in this transformation, providing digital literacy training to over 63.9 million rural residents between 2017 and 2024, it has helped over 60 million rural citizens, mostly women, pick up basic digital skills that let them access services, find opportunities, and connect with the world. A significant example of grassroots digital empowerment is the network of more than 67,000 women entrepreneurs managing Common Service Centres (CSCs) across India. These aren't just access points, they're change agents. But the story doesn't stop there. Telecom companies have also stepped up with customised digital literacy campaigns, offering content in local languages, mobile money know-how and tools that help women stay safe online. Add to this the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, SANKALP hubs across all districts, and BharatNet's high-speed connectivity in gram panchayats, and you see a full-circle approach. These efforts aren't just about plugging women into the digital world; they're about helping them lead it. The growth of digital commerce, social media platforms and remote work opportunities has opened new avenues for women's employment and entrepreneurship. Access to mobile-based financial services has also enabled many women to take control of their earnings and financial decisions. From digital wallets to mobile banking, women are now better positioned to save, invest and plan for their future. According to GSMA, closing the gender gap in mobile ownership and usage could generate an additional $230 billion in revenue for the mobile industry over eight years, highlighting the commercial and societal benefits of this very digital inclusion vision I am talking about. While the progress made so far is really commendable, achieving full digital gender parity requires continued focus and here the telecom sector has a pivotal role to play and it is already working continuously to innovate around affordability, creating pricing models and device solutions that lower the barriers to entry for women. Collaboration with policymakers is equally important to embed gender-sensitive principles in digital strategies which includes data-driven approaches to track progress, assess the impact of interventions, and course-correction wherever needed. The vision is pretty clear. We need a digitally inclusive India where every woman, regardless of location or background, has access to the tools and opportunities of the digital age. We believe that the telecom industry's role would be crucial to turn this vision into a reality, with sustained efforts and shared responsibility. This article is authored by Lt Gen SP Kochhar, director general, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), New Delhi.
