Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) represents an enormous opportunity to introduce significant and lasting positive change across the developing world. The rapid penetration of mobile access in particular has resulted in considerable improvements in the lives of the poor in both rural and urban contexts. 

The effectiveness of such ICT projects suffer from the following vital factors: 

• Digital Divide : rural and urban, rich and poor, men and women 
• Digital illiteracy: about 90% of Indian population is digitally illiterate 
• Slow roll-out of Wi-Fi hotspots and the slow speed, in comparison to other developed nations. 
• Most small and medium scale industry is struggling to adapt to modern technology. 
• Entry level smartphones have limited capabilities for smooth internet access, and the outreach of the smartphones is limited. 
• There is an absence of enough skilled manpower in digital technology.
• Lack of user education and limited facilities to train personnel. India needs over one million cyber security experts to check and monitor the growing menace of digital crime.
• Privacy concerns and threat of ransom ware.
• Language barrier. Most of the ICT services are available in English.

Suggestions: 

1. Literacy – Steps should be taken towards making people digitally literate. Example – National Digital Literacy Mission 

2. Training – Making rural population familiar with the use of computer and basic functions. Example – PMGDISHA 

3. Accessibility – Making internet accessible to all. Example – National Optical Fibre Network: to ensure broadband connectivity. 

4. Make ICT services available in all the regional languages. 

5. Affordability – Reducing phone prices and internet service prices. 

6. Nudge and motivate citizenry to make use of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) mechanisms. Example: incentives for digital transactions. 

7. Reducing the trust deficit that people have with respect to IT enabled services. One comes across individuals who would not use ATM but rather visit bank branch and withdraw money. 

8. Enactment of Data protection bill. 

Government measures to provide accessibility to ICT based programmes: 

• Government has setup Common Service Centers (CSCs) across the country to help marginalized section of community to access benefits of these platforms. 

• CSCs are working in 1.8 lakh gram panchayats and very soon it will reach 2.5 lakh gram panchayats by end of this year. Close to 2 lakh CSCs are currently operational in the country. 

• Apart from it, government has setup service centers for various e-services in banks, post-offices and other government offices. 

• Further, improvement of internet connectivity through National Optical Fibre Network under Bharat Net will boost accessibility to these platforms. 

It is quite obvious that digitalization improves G2C, G2, G and G2B connectivity with improved efficiency, accountability and transparency gaining customized satisfactory approach needs to be backed by strong legislation ensuring privacy and safety with the aim that even the last man must be capable of harnessing its benefit.