The Curious Case of Cyber Fraud at the Grassroots in India
Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) supported by US India Policy Institute (USIPI) has set up eight community information resource. Most of these places do not even have a motorable road or direct transport. But the coordinators of these digital centers with the help of their laptops and internet ensure access to information to them.
One of the centers in Muzaffarnager in Tavli panchayat region was recently inaugurated. The center coordinator, Abdullah and his team went through a rigorous two days training under the guidance of Shallu who is looking after all the pillars of the digital center. Shallu categorically explained them each service so that they can deliver them through their center. Apart from this, the process of community engagement was explained to them along with the ways to handle beneficiaries and how to operate it as a one stop destination from where the villagers can have access to fulfill all their digital needs.
Muzaffarnagar is densely populated by minorities who have never experienced or benefited from digital access. With a new digital resource center, the community is delighted to be a part of the digital world. There are young girls and women from Tavli Panchayat, who en-mass thronged to the digital resource center to access the cyber world. Most of them are facing a computer screen for the first time.
Further, the centers got an overwhelming response from the awareness camps organised especially in the surrounding villages of Raybaka digital center. It revealed that even in the age of internet, members are still facing information poverty, depriving them of the government benefits.
In Rajasthan, 90% of the women workers are the most vulnerable in the informal sector according to the government data. For this the state government had launched various schemes to promote same-work-same-wage, housing and crèche facilities amongst others.
Irfan with the help of the in-built application MeraApp, informed the community members of the various state and central schemes, especially the women who can benefit from then.
The main focus of these digital centers is to offer digital literacy to children, young adults and help avail entitlements to the women and elderly.
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