Nirmal Melam

High School, Winner, Grade 9
West Des Moines, Iowa

A young girl in a rural village in India is full of dreams, however, she is held back by the digital divide. Her school, which is a 2 mile walk, lacks the internet connectivity that those in the USA take for granted. As the world rapidly advances in technology, she remains disconnected, her future stifled not by her abilities, but by a lack of access. This digital divide is not just a gap in technology; it is a chasm that deepens socio-economic inequalities to millions in India. The digital divide leaves millions of people, especially marginalized communities, isolated from the benefits of the digital age behind in a rapidly digitizing world.

The digital divide in India is more than a technological issue; it is a humanitarian crisis. We must bridge this gap and ensure that every child, farmer, and citizen has the opportunity to thrive in a digitalized world and to access the benefits that everyone else can. It is a call to unlock the unlimited potential that lies within India's rural villages, transforming dreams into reality through digital inclusion.

Context and Implications:

India's digital divide is one of the most significant developmental challenges in the 21st century, hindering equal access to opportunities and resources in an increasingly digital world. Although India is the world's second-largest internet market, with over 700 million internet users, 900 million people lack reliable access to the internet. This divide particularly affects rural areas, aggravating socioeconomic disparities and limits access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. We need to solve this gap as it is vital for India's growth and development as it allows every citizen to participate in and benefit from the digital economy.

The digital divide in India can be shown by the differences in internet usage and connection between urban and rural areas. According to an Oxfam Report, urban India had an internet penetration rate of 44%, compared to only 17% in rural India. This gap shows the significant inequities in access to information and services, which affects the livelihoods and well-being of millions across the country, especially in rural areas.

One of the biggest impacts of this divide is on education. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgent need for digital access, as schools switched to online learning. A survey by the National Statistical Office (NSO) showed that only 24% of Indian households had internet access for online education. In rural areas, this number dropped to 15%. Because of the pandemic, millions of students were left without access to educational resources and schooling, widening the already huge educational gap in the country. The digital divide also restricts access to crucial information in the agricultural sector, which employs over 50% (half) of the country’s workforce. Farmers who don’t have access to the internet, miss out on weather forecasts, market prices, and modern farming techniques, which their productivity, yields, and income. According to a McKinsey report, access to the internet in agriculture could add $50 billion to $65 billion to farmers' income by 2025, highlighting the benefits of closing the digital gap. The divide also impacts access to healthcare. Telemedicine remains out of reach for many in rural areas. The National Health Mission's report indicates that only 20% of rural populations have access to quality healthcare facilities. This could be significantly improved with better

digital connectivity. Lesser-known challenges include the impact on gender equality, as women and girls have even fewer rates of digital connectivity, with remote areas falling further behind urban centers. According to the 2021 consumer survey by GSMA, women in India are 41 per cent less likely than men to use mobile internet. An Oxfam report on inequality finds that one- third of India’s internet users are women. Indian women are 15 percent less likely to own a mobile phone, and 33 percent less likely to use mobile internet services than men. According to the People's Archive of Rural India within the Asia-Pacific region, India’s gendered digital divide fares the worst with a wide gap of 40.4 percent between internet usage among men and women. This is why India accounts for half of the world’s gendered digital divide.

Benefits:

According to the same report by McKinsey Global Institute, solving the digital divide could add

$1 trillion to India’s GDP by 2025. This increase would come from better productivity, more innovation, and expanded access to digital services across various sectors such as agriculture, education, healthcare, and commerce. For the average citizen, the benefits would be substantial. For instance, digitally connected farmers could see a 20-30% increase in their income by accessing better market prices, weather forecasts, and modern farming techniques. In education, students with reliable internet access can benefit from learning resources, leading to better job opportunities and higher salaries. Additionally, digital access would allow more people to access banking services, credit, and insurance, thereby increasing their economic stability and growth.

Solutions:

The solution is to accelerate the BharatNet Program, the world's largest rural broadband connectivity program, which is built under the Make in India Initiative with no involvement of foreign companies. This project aims to connect all 250,000 Gram Panchayats (village councils) in India with high-speed internet, providing the rural population with the digital infrastructure which allows for education, healthcare, and economic activities to be accessed online. The goal of the Bharat Net program is to ensure that even the most remote areas have access to reliable and fast internet services (Press Information Bureau).

In addition to infrastructure, digital literacy is crucial in closing the digital divide. The government and various NGOs are working to promote digital skills among rural populations. Programs like Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) aim to make millions of rural households digitally literate. (World Bank).

Public-private partnerships will also play a significant role in solving the digital divide and bridging the gap in internet access. Collaborations between technology companies, the government, and educational institutions can facilitate the development of localized digital content and applications which are specifically made to meet the needs of rural users. For example, partnerships can support the creation of agricultural apps that provide farmers with

real-time information on weather and crop prices which improve agricultural productivity and incomes (People’s Archive of Rural India).

American individuals and groups can play a vital role in bridging this digital divide. Philanthropic organizations can fund initiatives to build digital infrastructure and provide affordable internet access in underprivileged regions. Educational institutions and tech companies can partner with Indian NGOs to offer digital literacy programs, ensuring that both children and adults gain important skills and knowledge. Additionally, U.S. tech experts can work with local Indian startups and social enterprises to develop innovative solutions tailored to the unique challenges of rural India. Finally, American individuals can increase awareness about this issue by posting stories and articles on social media and hosting fundraisers in local communities.

I have founded a Non-Profit Organization, Young Minds Mission Foundation (YMMF) with the intent on increasing access to education, climate change awareness, and opportunities for Young Minds to implement their own solutions to local problems. I recently conducted 8 weeks of Geography training to 40 students in the United States and am planning to scale this to India soon. This is important as it increases literacy and geographic awareness across the world. It also helps the students be more creative and sparks a passion in them to be the change they wish to see in the world. I will be going to India in August to sponsor the Solar Project to Zilla Praja Parishad High School (ZPPH) through my organization YMMF, where I will be installing solar panels in the school and surrounding areas in the village of Perupalem to help increase access to electricity which helps bridge the digital divide. Through my organization, I will also increase environmental and climate change awareness to farmers. This is important because currently, the annual average crop losses due to extreme weather events alone is resulting into losses estimated at around 0.25 percent of India's GDP (Singh et al., 2019). As Climate Change related events become more severe, farmers will need more knowledge and will need to adapt to extreme weather events. Bridging the digital divide allows farmers to be more flexible and quickly adapt to upcoming weather. Raising awareness to farmers is important as it provides them a scope of the issue and how they can use technology to overcome barriers.

If every citizen contributes to this initiative, India’s digital divide can easily be fixed. With cooperation, we can solve this problem together.