There is a considerable difference in the consumption of digital information between rural and urban India. The access to the digital world is limited, in the case of rural India, by the digital divide. As per a study by the Internet and Mobile Association of India, only 29% of rural India can access the internet, compared to 64% of the urban population. The latest National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data place this figure at 24% for rural Indian households. Moreover, only 14% of rural citizens “actively use the internet, in contrast to 59% of urban adoption.”
The report cites affordability issues, patchy network coverage, and a lack of localised vernacular internet content as possible reasons for this disparity. This disconnect prevents a rural population from accessing opportunities, entitlements and rights. For instance, “only 27% of beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM Kisan) scheme receive Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) payments digitally.” Due to the digital divide, there is a lack of credible mechanisms to tackle misinformation and disinformation and influence operations. The increased emphasis on urban narratives can be seen in how fact-checking websites operate in the country.
Leave feedback about this