From a Digital India to a Digital Bharat

The Hindu     16th December 2020     Save    
QEP Pocket Notes

Context: Recently launched The Prime Minister’s Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) project seems to fit within the framework of an evolving decentralised concept to bridge the e-divide.

India’s Digital Divide:

  • Accessibility: About 54% of India’s population has access to the Internet (TRAI Report).
  • Digital Literacy: only 20% of the population has the ability to use the Internet (75th round of National Statistical Organisation survey)
  • Digital Divide: Rural India has half the Internet penetration as urban, and twice as many users who access the Internet less than once a week (India Internet 2019 report)
  • Lack of access to quality internet: 99% of all users in India access the Internet on mobile, and about 88% are connected on the 4G network, resulting in overloading of a limited network.

PM-WANI: Bridging e-divide

  • About PM-WANI:
    • Provides for Public Wi-Fi Networks by Public Data Office Aggregators (PDOAs) to provide public Wi-Fi service through Public Data Offices (PDOs) spread across the country to accelerate the proliferation of Broadband Internet services.
    • Three important actors:
      1. PDOs: can be anyone and will not require registration of any kind.
      2. PDOA: Will buy bandwidth from the Internet Service Provider (ISPs) and telecom companies and sell it to PDOs, while also accounting for data used by all PDOs.
      3. App provider: create an app through which users can access & discover Wi-Fi access points.
    • Two pillars as a baseline for Public Wi-Fi (TRAI)
      1. Interoperability: user will be required to login only once & stay connected across access points.
      2. Multiple payment options: allowing the user to pay both online and offline.
  • Expected outcomes:
    • Can help to bridge the increasing digital divide in India.
    • Help in exploiting the economic potential of digital technology, expected to be USD 1 trillion by 2025 (as per NITI Aayog).
  • Eliminating digital poverty by bridging digital divide:
      • Example: Ability to access and utilise the Umang App (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) enhances an individual’s capabilities to benefit from services entitled to them.
    • Expected to be a source of employment and revenue for individuals and small shopkeepers.
    • Bharat Net envisions broadband connectivity in all villages in India.
    • PM-WANI will help achieve the aims of Bharat Net by promoting digital literacy and accessibility.
  • Associated concerns: Date security and privacy issues.
    • Misuse of public internet: the threat of leaking of private information
    • TRAI recommendation of ‘community interest’ data be stored locally: raises questions about data protection with no data protection law in place.

Conclusion: With the PM-WANI, the state is expanding the reach of digital transformation to those who have been excluded till now. It has the potential to move Digital India to Digital Bharat.

QEP Pocket Notes