as we are poised as a nation to take on the digital challenge with the PM flagging off the digital India last week. A good progress in country but reflecting from my experiences I am a bit perplexed and confused. Lets examine the following in detail
*Mobile network: there is penetration of mobile network in most of India however avid travelers like me will agree that it is very difficult to get network coverage in many rural areas. I was in Bhundelkhand last week and very poor network from even the state owned BSNL and also Airtel was not great either. Even living in DELHI we find it hard to connect to MTNL and sometimes other private operators when we are indoors.
*Mobile banking: a key highlight of the digital india vision; after being educated for over 20 years in English medium and also learning hindi for the past 15 years I am now able to maneuver the IVR section on any tele banking system. Do we expect the illiterate citizens of the country to navigate this who find it challenging even to use a mobile phone in terms of calling a number and who do not even send a message. Are we talking about digital india for only the 25 – 30 per cent of the populous!
Also we find it really complex in managing accounts with IFSC codes and online systems will it be ever possible for majority of population who does not have computer or internet literacy!!!
When we go to State Bank of India most of the time we are told off that the computer lynk is not working and we need to wait for hours or even turn back and walk away to come again another day!!!
*Major announcements last week? Over INR4500 crore commitment for digital India and creation of 18,000 jobs! Will this educate rural masses to become computer or mobile litrate, in my view a big no It only focuses on building the infrastructure!!! Poor women, farmers, disabled people will all be left out in the race!
*E-health and e-education! In implementing of such initiatives I have experienced the intencity of engagement and requirements of human, technological and financial resources for such a system! We are looking at e-health when the primary health centers, the sub centers and community health centers have not attained their capacity in reaching out to the poor people across the 6,00,000 panchayats across the country. SO are they telling us a scenario wherein a pregnant mother can call a number and get information on IFA tablets, immunizations required ETC………. or a child will be educated in rural deogarh Jharkhand from a video conferencing facility located in Delhi?........ A big Fars in a country where in inter mediate learning and face to face education is appalling. A child of class 5 cannot read even text books of class 1 and 2! The expectation is through digital e-education this will change?????
*Digital lockers: again a farse, what happens to the security of all our personal data and information/ the PM himself stated in his latest speech that we need to work on syber security, how can the digital locker facility be safe and safe guard our personal documentation!!!
I am not totally against digital india, we need to be more pragmatic and practical to attain this and I hope the government realizes its importance and role out.
Praveen Kumar G.
July 2015
