Exploring Digital Divide in India: A Framework for Inclusive Information Communication

Abstract

The surge of cheap internet access and digital devices in India, especially for the rural population, has transitioned India into the second-level digital divide from access to effective use and digital skill. Here, the divide emerges based on quality of use, digital skill and usability. Review of secondary literature suggests that gender, socio-cultural norms, economic disparity, geographical location (rural-urban), level of education, age and language play a key role in creating digital disparity. To address this, we tried to map the disparities among the Indian states. We constructed a digital skill index, which explains how the people residing within states are comfortable in performing some basic digital tasks like copy and paste file, use MS Word/Excel, send email with attachment, etc. By mapping the digital skills across states, we can better understand the regional disparities, benchmarking state performance and designing targeted interventions. In this paper we found, Substantial disparities exist in terms of digital skills among the Indian states like Mizoram and Kerala which showed higher digital skill efficiency. This study provides empirical evidence that the digital skill is important and there is a requirement of developing strategies state wise to improve the condition of digital skill among states.