September, 2024
Cover Story
Digital Development: One Community at a Time
This narrative is transforming from that of rural India where 2/3rd of the Indian population lives today; the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) has undertaken the colossal task of tackling the digital divide. Most of the Indian population from the Dalit Bahujan and OBC groups living in over 66,5000 villages of India are not truly connected digitally. In an era, full of technologies and innovations 50% of the population have never logged onto the internet, while another 25% have only limited access. Read more
This narrative is transforming from that of rural India where 2/3rd of the Indian population lives today; the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) has undertaken the colossal task of tackling the digital divide. Most of the Indian population from the Dalit Bahujan and OBC groups living in over 66,5000 villages of India are not truly connected digitally. In an era, full of technologies and innovations 50% of the population have never logged onto the internet, while another 25% have only limited access. Read more
Digital Op-Ed
As the first cohort of Digital Swaraj Fellowship comes to an end, reflecting on the whole journey has been a mix of experiences, learnings and emotions. The seed that was sown a year back has started sprouting, and the aim, going forward, is to nurture it to become a full-grown tree in the coming years. This one-year journey has been enriching, intense and challenging. Right from designing and implementing the fellowship program, to guiding the fellows and responding to various situations, all of it has been a learning experience in itself.
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Stories from the Ground
Access and Infrastructure
SoochnaPreneurs of North Bengal: Women Leading the Last Mile to Access and Inclusion
The tea plantation industry of North Bengal has a long history of discriminating against and exploiting women’s labour force participation. Adivasi and Nepali women have also been employed as a majority of the workforce from the beginning of this industry in this region in the middle of the nineteenth century (Bose, 1993; Sen, 1999; Labour Bureau, 2008-2009). Read more
The tea plantation industry of North Bengal has a long history of discriminating against and exploiting women’s labour force participation. Adivasi and Nepali women have also been employed as a majority of the workforce from the beginning of this industry in this region in the middle of the nineteenth century (Bose, 1993; Sen, 1999; Labour Bureau, 2008-2009). Read more
Smartpur Hub Centres Connecting Youths for Digital Inclusion
The Smartpur Hub Centres, act as strong enablers for the process of empowering the community and making it digitally literate. Serving a wide reach across ten strategically located hubs in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh these centres act as a model of self-sustainability and community-focused development. These centres are situated in the middle of local communities and provide a wide array of digital services, educational programs, and resources. Read more
The Smartpur Hub Centres, act as strong enablers for the process of empowering the community and making it digitally literate. Serving a wide reach across ten strategically located hubs in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh these centres act as a model of self-sustainability and community-focused development. These centres are situated in the middle of local communities and provide a wide array of digital services, educational programs, and resources. Read more
Education and Empowerment
Lakshmi Devi's Resilient Journey: From Deception to Empowerment
Lakshmi Devi was just another woman living in the calm, rural village of Buti in Senha Block, Lohardaga district, Jharkhand. She lived a basic and honest life, doing her best to support her family. But it all changed when a stranger visited her community and offered her what appeared to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The man promised Lakshmi a brand-new automobile... Read more
Lakshmi Devi was just another woman living in the calm, rural village of Buti in Senha Block, Lohardaga district, Jharkhand. She lived a basic and honest life, doing her best to support her family. But it all changed when a stranger visited her community and offered her what appeared to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The man promised Lakshmi a brand-new automobile... Read more
Strengthening Young Minds through Digital Literacy and Technology
Simran’s story is an inspiring narrative of opportunity for educational advancement and the use of technology in the least developed regions. Ironically, as a 14-year-old student studying at the Subhanpora Anantnag Digital Literacy Centre, she has gone far in her digital literacy program. In her village where women were restricted from getting any formal education and technology was unheard of, Simran’s determination was evident. Read more
Simran’s story is an inspiring narrative of opportunity for educational advancement and the use of technology in the least developed regions. Ironically, as a 14-year-old student studying at the Subhanpora Anantnag Digital Literacy Centre, she has gone far in her digital literacy program. In her village where women were restricted from getting any formal education and technology was unheard of, Simran’s determination was evident. Read more
Governance and Citizen Services
A Beacon of Hope and Empowerment
Ayesha Sultana exemplifies the power of resilience and determination in challenging societal perceptions of disabilities. She demonstrates that it is not the physical limitations but the judgments of society that present the actual obstacles. Coming from Singhee Gram Panchayat in Birbhum, West Bengal, Ayesha’s journey is a testament to her incredible strength and indomitable spirit. Despite all the difficulties from a young age, Ayesha completed her studies along with Higher Secondary courses and a diploma in computer studies after getting married. Read more
Ayesha Sultana exemplifies the power of resilience and determination in challenging societal perceptions of disabilities. She demonstrates that it is not the physical limitations but the judgments of society that present the actual obstacles. Coming from Singhee Gram Panchayat in Birbhum, West Bengal, Ayesha’s journey is a testament to her incredible strength and indomitable spirit. Despite all the difficulties from a young age, Ayesha completed her studies along with Higher Secondary courses and a diploma in computer studies after getting married. Read more
A Story of Resilience and Empowerment
Kesaram a farmer from the scorched wasteland of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, had been cultivating the soil as far back as he could remember. Farming in the desert, where blistering sunshine and unusual rainfall made every working day nothing but a battle for Kesaram, but he never gave up. He envisioned a tomorrow where he could mechanise the farming process and lighten the backbreaking labour required in cultivating the land by hand. One day Kesaram heard about Krishi Yantra Yojana some of the schemes the government was coming up with along with a few other schemes that promised subsidies on farming implements that would transform the lives of farmers. However, the procedure was too much for poor Kesaram as he had no idea how to deal with the complications and the steps, at that moment he approached the Soochna Adhikar Kendra, implemented by the DEF Soochnapreneur in his village. The empowerment of citizens to identify... Read more
Kesaram a farmer from the scorched wasteland of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, had been cultivating the soil as far back as he could remember. Farming in the desert, where blistering sunshine and unusual rainfall made every working day nothing but a battle for Kesaram, but he never gave up. He envisioned a tomorrow where he could mechanise the farming process and lighten the backbreaking labour required in cultivating the land by hand. One day Kesaram heard about Krishi Yantra Yojana some of the schemes the government was coming up with along with a few other schemes that promised subsidies on farming implements that would transform the lives of farmers. However, the procedure was too much for poor Kesaram as he had no idea how to deal with the complications and the steps, at that moment he approached the Soochna Adhikar Kendra, implemented by the DEF Soochnapreneur in his village. The empowerment of citizens to identify... Read more
Creating an Inclusive Future: Empowering Rural Digital Entrepreneurs
In the quest to create a better future for women entrepreneurs, Udyamini was launched a year ago with five pilot SoochnaPreneur Business Mitra (SBM) centres in Assam and West Bengal. The program is now operational across 100 SBM centres and aims to strengthen further the understanding of Digital Rural Women Entrepreneurs (DRWEs). Read more
In the quest to create a better future for women entrepreneurs, Udyamini was launched a year ago with five pilot SoochnaPreneur Business Mitra (SBM) centres in Assam and West Bengal. The program is now operational across 100 SBM centres and aims to strengthen further the understanding of Digital Rural Women Entrepreneurs (DRWEs). Read more
Research and Advocacy
AI-ed Platforms, Platformised AI
Many parts of our society have been changed by the fast development of the internet and digitisation, especially in economics. This includes changes in company practices, changes in consumer behaviour (with consumers becoming prosumers), the introduction of digital platforms, and the establishment of the network economy. When it comes to businesses, societies that are driven by data present both huge potential and challenges. Frameworks and tools that can evaluate the potential for data-driven innovation and value creation need to be established in order to make the most of these changes and capitalise on them. For digital transformation, performance, evolving production systems, decision-making in real time, and the generation of unstructured data from social networks, data is an essential component. Platformising is something that we see emerging over the past decade - online structures that radically restructure our activities, of work and production, and entertainment and socialising... Read more
Many parts of our society have been changed by the fast development of the internet and digitisation, especially in economics. This includes changes in company practices, changes in consumer behaviour (with consumers becoming prosumers), the introduction of digital platforms, and the establishment of the network economy. When it comes to businesses, societies that are driven by data present both huge potential and challenges. Frameworks and tools that can evaluate the potential for data-driven innovation and value creation need to be established in order to make the most of these changes and capitalise on them. For digital transformation, performance, evolving production systems, decision-making in real time, and the generation of unstructured data from social networks, data is an essential component. Platformising is something that we see emerging over the past decade - online structures that radically restructure our activities, of work and production, and entertainment and socialising... Read more
Budget-ing the digital, ’24
What do this year's (2024) budgets mean for digital access and the divide? Something as often awaited as election results are the budget sessions every year, where key financial and policy decisions for the upcoming year are set, targets in sight, and hope always to abound. This year, as with every budget, every stakeholder state, state holder class, and stakeholder businesses waited for announcements that would bring them relief. Inflation on basic commodities is one of these. The statistics suggest inflation in prices of basic edible commodities like cereals, pulses and vegetables hit a shocking 9+%. The Hindu further reports that "The heatwave and delayed monsoon onset in parts of the country spurred... Read more
What do this year's (2024) budgets mean for digital access and the divide? Something as often awaited as election results are the budget sessions every year, where key financial and policy decisions for the upcoming year are set, targets in sight, and hope always to abound. This year, as with every budget, every stakeholder state, state holder class, and stakeholder businesses waited for announcements that would bring them relief. Inflation on basic commodities is one of these. The statistics suggest inflation in prices of basic edible commodities like cereals, pulses and vegetables hit a shocking 9+%. The Hindu further reports that "The heatwave and delayed monsoon onset in parts of the country spurred... Read more
When the Internet Redefined Radical Journalism – Use case WikiLeaks and Julian Assange
In 2007 July, two journalists from Reuters were among several other Iraqi civilians who were gunned down by a US Army helicopter. Following this, the helicopter also proceeded to send a barrage of missiles into a building 'suspected' of housing insurgents. It was three years later, in 2010, that a website called WikiLeaks published the leaked footage of the attack... Read more
In 2007 July, two journalists from Reuters were among several other Iraqi civilians who were gunned down by a US Army helicopter. Following this, the helicopter also proceeded to send a barrage of missiles into a building 'suspected' of housing insurgents. It was three years later, in 2010, that a website called WikiLeaks published the leaked footage of the attack... Read more
Regular Features
Oral Bytes
EMpowering women with STEM and Digital Literacy
Rural centres facilitate access to connectivity and device
Expert Says
The video features Osama Manzar, Founder-Director of the Digital Empowerment Foundation, exploring the concept of data injustice and its implications in today’s digital world. In this insightful discussion, he delves into how data systems often perpetuate inequality and exclusion, particularly impacting marginalized communities. Highlighting real-world examples, he also explains the importance of addressing biases in data collection, representation, and usage to ensure fairness and empowerment for all. Watch here
eChampion
The Museum of Digital Society: A Living Archive of Digital Inclusion
Digital is a 21st-century tool of communication, media, business, governance, activism, and social norms. Digital is not merely technology—it is life, a medium, innovation, and marketing. Yet, critical questions arise: who controls and benefits from this digital existence? Whose narratives remain unheard? However, the larger society is constantly being left out or excluded and either data fields or data mined for control and appropriation. Read more
Digital is a 21st-century tool of communication, media, business, governance, activism, and social norms. Digital is not merely technology—it is life, a medium, innovation, and marketing. Yet, critical questions arise: who controls and benefits from this digital existence? Whose narratives remain unheard? However, the larger society is constantly being left out or excluded and either data fields or data mined for control and appropriation. Read more