The Resurging Value of Civil Society for Indian Crafts
The stories shared here are stories of people who are harnessing the power of the digital world to connect various horizons, intersections and communities and empower every citizen by promoting digitally-led progress, innovation and a digital transformation.
When the digital world was introduced, the silver lining on the digital cloud was transparency, equal citizenship in the online world and transcendence of borders. In the ever evolving landscape of technology today, digital access, empowerment and transformation is the only hope for millions of individuals living at the edge of darkness- especially the ones living in remote and underserved areas with little or no access to the online world.
Imagine the following scenarios: A woman started a small business of selling products made out of recycled cloth but she does business from her home in Nuh, Haryana, and does not know how to take it online so she can connect to more people? An elderly fisherman in Chirala district lost his source of income during the COVID-19 crisis and is unaware that the government has relief schemes that can help him financially? A mother is (un)learning gender-based misconceptions about menstruation, learning how to spread this information in her community through a Smartpad, and is enabled to become an entrepreneur that produces the Smartpads too? A woman running a digital center with the aim of connecting her community members to entitlement delivery, digitally enabled services and knowledge nestled in the tea gardens of Alipurduar district of West Bengal? Embarking on a journey of bringing last mile connectivity in Ranjipora village of Kashmir? Bringing about digital revolution in the Kamrup district of Assam where community members face hurdles in accessing information and services related to government schemes and linkages? A woman winning the U-Report award for her remarkable journey of not only successfully running a SoochnaPreneur center but also enabling other women to challenge gender-based discrimination? Ensuring that the farming families are connected to the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana so they can avail their financial assistance facilitated by the government? A boy learning how to use a phone and finding his passion for clicking photographs, honing that skill with his smartphone and enhancing his digital education to keep discovering himself? School students learning how they play a pivotal role in environmental action and creating local content in their regional languages so they can engage more and more people in their strive to save the environment? A 19-year old girl from the Chiraudi village excelling in the digital literacy program and learning how to use digital applications and coding to ensure that she can land a job and help her family financially?
In today’s world digital integration in almost every aspect of everyday life has proven that gaining digital access and empowerment is a lifeline that can transform their lives by bridging the information gap, fostering economic opportunities, cultivating social inclusion and enabling access to government schemes and entitlements. The stories shared here are stories of people who are harnessing the power of the digital world to connect various horizons, intersections and communities and empower every citizen by promoting digitally-led progress, innovation and a digital transformation.
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