One of the largest democracies of the world, India is a country of 1.25 billion people. While the GDP of the country is fast growing at 8.2 per cent, 67 per cent of the country’s population still lives in rural areas, and is dependent on public schemes and entitlements for some of their most basic…
DEF participated in Media Literacy 360° Forum and Fair organised by Digital Communication Network and World Learning in Bratislava, Slovakia, on December 11-12, 2018. The two-day event gathered digital journalists, educators, entrepreneurs, civil society activists, and representatives of international organisations from 22 countries to acknowledge and connect existing media literacy initiatives, share best practices, and empower…
POSHAN Abhiyaan is the Government of India’s flagship programme to improve nutritional standards among pregnant women, lactating mothers, infants, children and adolescents. In an effort to amplify the reach of the POSHAN Abhiyaan among rural communities, UNICEF and Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) have come together to organise community dialogues on POSHAN Abhiyaan in the villages…
DEF advocates for a robust data protection law The Research and Advocacy department of DEF has sent its response to the Srikrishna Committee call for a Data Protection Framework for India. DEF’s recommendations highlight the need for a robust data protection law to protect, especially, the most vulnerable sections of the society. The response sent…
DEFdialogue with Ulrike Reinhard In February, DEF hosted its fourth DEFdialogue with Ulrike Reinhard, a German publisher and author. She is best known for her skatepark in Janwaar Castle in Madhya Pradesh. Travelling to more than 100 countries, she has spoken to Nobel Laureates, nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize, high ranking politicians, internationally renowned thinkers, successful entrepreneurs, outstanding…
Warli art set to get a new lease of life In February; DEF conducted an awareness workshop for Warli artisans in Talasari block of Maharashtra to revive the beautiful Warli art. The session saw participation of 36 Warli artists, students and other stakeholders who discussed the challenges related to market availability, designing, raw material and…
Supporting Digital India’s financial needs DigiSupport, a project initiated by DEF & Axis Bank to empower financially excluded communities to digitally access and consume financial services through digital interventions, has successfully reached out to more than 1,116 rural beneficiaries in 10 villages. An army of DigiPreraks (rural entrepreneurs) have diligently mobilised the communities they serve to create…
Rekindling public libraries in Telangana Indian Public Library Movement and DEF organised the State Public Library Conference in Telganana in collaboration with the Government of Telangana and the Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU). The aim was to bring together relevant stakeholders to exchange views in an effort to develop strategies to digitally transform public libraries into 21st century information,…
Creating a ‘sampoorna gaon’ In March, DEF and Nokia initiated project Smartpur in Nuh (Haryana) and Asoor (Tamil Nadu). It has been conceptualised in a manner that challenges and redefines the existing idea of smart villages, which is based more on the availability of digital infrastructure but not as much on the integration of the infrastructure into…
Committed to providing a multi-stakeholder platform to discuss issues relating to Internet governance, human rights online and the future of the Internet, the third Digital Citizen Summit (DCS) was organised on November 1-2, 2018, in New Delhi. India and other South Asian countries have made leapfrogs in the technology sector to adapt to digital lifestyles.…