February, 2025

Cover Story

Bridging the Digital Divide by Empowering Communities through Digital Connections
The Digital Empowerment Foundation is dedicated to connecting communities by advancing their technological capabilities. DEF works tirelessly to provide modern technology to everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic background. Recognising that technology serves more than just communication needs, DEF believes it is a powerful driver of transformative social change in contemporary interconnected societies. Read more

Digital Op-Ed

Governance mechanisms continue to fall short of addressing the fundamental rights of communities living in the tea gardens of northern West Bengal, a study has found. Tea gardens have long been critical pivots of colonial and post-colonial administration and governance, subjected to the scrutiny of various agencies – including tea management boards, political unions, government officials, and various development organisations.
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Stories from the Ground

Access and Infrastructure

From Uncertainty to Security: Haseena’s Journey with Ayushman Card
Haseena Bano, a resident of Rampur Bhawanipur, Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, had always struggled to make ends meet. Accessing healthcare seemed impossible, and the thought of borrowing money during a medical crisis was deeply distressing. Everything changed when a DEF Social Entrepreneur (SoochnaPreneur) from the Smartpur Spoke Centre visited her village. Read more
Access to Healthcare: Online and Offline in a Digital Ecosystem
“Digital ecosystem has a huge potential to accommodate healthcare facilities which can enable access to basic medical attention in remote places where enough in-person consultations are hard to find. Especially in India, this can prove to be a boon as a vast majority of the rural population struggle to get medical help and often leads to negligence.” Read more

Education and Empowerment

Empowering Futures through Digital Literacy: Mansi Choudhary’s Journey
Mansi Choudhary, a student from the Ramnagar Centre, is currently in Class 11 and a proud DiGi-LAMP Scholar. Her journey into digital literacy began in 9th Standard when she enrolled in digital literacy classes with only basic knowledge of computers. However, through these sessions, she gained a comprehensive understanding of computer applications and their practical importance in daily life. Read more
Unlocking Digital Potential in Digital Literacy
Dheeraj, a student from the Ramnagar Centre, is currently in 11th standard but he embarked on his digital literacy journey when he was in 9th standard. Before joining the digital literacy classes, he had only a basic understanding of computers. However, under the guidance of Mrs Shivani Thakur, he gained in-depth knowledge about computer applications, input and output devices, and cybersecurity through interactive and practical sessions. Read more

Market & Social Enterprises

Empowering Rural Women: She Leads, She Transforms, She Inspires
The Udyamini Program, an initiative by the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), has revolutionised livelihoods by empowering rural women with digital skills, innovation, and sustainable entrepreneurship. Through training and ongoing support, rural women entrepreneurs (RWEs) in West Bengal have built thriving enterprises in handicrafts, silk weaving, and eco-friendly products, proving that dignity and prosperity go hand in hand. Read more
Empowering Rural Women Through Entrepreneurship
Ms. Chayarani Malakar, a 30-year-old resident of Hajo, Pakhamela in Kamrup District, Assam, embarked on a transformative journey to achieve financial independence and uplift the women in her community. Previously a housewife reliant on her husband’s limited income, she sought alternative sources of livelihood to create a sustainable future for her family and those around her. Read more

Governance and Citizen Services

Bridging the Digital Divide and Impact of Soochna Adhikar Kendra in Noorsar
For years, the residents of Noorsar village, Bikaner district, Rajasthan, faced immense challenges in accessing digital services and government schemes. With no Common Service Centre (CSC) or E-Mitra facility, villagers were forced to travel 10 to 20 kilometres just to apply for essential documents, pensions, or government benefits. Even after making the long journey, there was no certainty that the centre would be open, resulting in wasted time, money, and effort. Read more
Combatting Cyberbullying in Madhya Pradesh: SoochnaPreneurs Leading by Example
Devpura is a small, underdeveloped village in the Neemuch district, populated by members of the Banjara community. Like many rural areas in India, most of the population engages in subsistence farming, manual labour, or small-scale trade. The community is primarily comprised of Scheduled Tribes, with a small number of individuals from Other Backward Classes (OBC) and General categories. Read more

Research and Advocacy

Just AI – No Digital Justice without Social Justice
At the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), our ongoing commitment to bridging the digital divide and empowering marginalized communities through technology is embodied in our Just AI – Data & Algorithms for Communities division. This initiative works to integrate social justice with the growing impact of AI and data on communities, advocating for responsible, inclusive, and ethical AI governance. As we reflect on our milestones, we also look ahead to our vision for 2025, striving to build upon our work in AI literacy, grassroots research, bottom-up policy advocacy, and strengthening a citizen-centric AI ecosystem. Read more
The Curious Case of Cyber Fraud at the Grassroots in India
Cyber fraud is a growing menace in rural India, as rapid digitalisation outpaces the spread of digital literacy. Vulnerable communities often fall prey to sophisticated scams that exploit their limited understanding of online safety. Badla village in Jharkhand is a case in point, where a resident, Sasita Oraon, was defrauded of INR 58,000 in a scam involving promises of government subsidies and agricultural equipment. Badla village is situated under Senha block in the Lohardaga district of Jharkhand. Read more

Regular Features

Oral Bytes

Empowering Women Through Sustainable Menstrual Hygiene Solutions

Bridging the Digital Divide: How Wireless Internet Transformed a Community

Expert Says

How do gig economy workers experience injustices through digital platforms in India?

The gig economy in India, powered by platforms like Uber, Ola, Swiggy, and Zomato, promised employment and flexibility—but has it truly empowered workers? This video explores how data-driven algorithms, once used to incentivize workers, are now manipulating wages, increasing cancellations, and creating an unstable work environment.

With trust eroding and worker rights overlooked, the focus has shifted from people to profit. It's time for ethical policies and a human-centric approach to ensure gig workers are protected, valued, and fairly compensated.

Watch here to uncover the reality behind the gig economy!

eChampion

Requiem For Justice: The Landscape of Hope Network Meeting
Osama Manzar, Akanksha Ahluwalia and Abner Manzar represented the Digital Empowerment Foundation at the Requiem for Justice, a bi-annual arts and advocacy platform, organised by Landscapes of Hope and Action for Hope in Amsterdam, Netherlands. An annual cultural gathering of 25 network members from across the globe, it was a gathering focused on the intersection of freedom of expression and the freedom that civil society organisations and human rights activists had fought for over many years. Read more