India’s Digital Divide

James B. Pick () and Avijit Sarkar ()
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James B. Pick: University of Redlands
Avijit Sarkar: University of Redlands

Chapter Chapter 6 in The Global Digital Divides, 2015, pp 155-195 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract India with the second-largest base of ICT users globally has made progress but faces challenges of inadequate infrastructure, electrical shortages, and regulatory hurdles. Nevertheless, some states are exemplary such as the national ICT leader Delhi State, followed by the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, which are somewhat proximate to Delhi and the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The lowest ICT level is the rural, impoverished northeast. The conceptual model for India posits that twelve independent factors influence four IFCT factors. The key associated factors for ICTs are registered newspapers and periodicals and higher education, as, with Delhi removed, electrical capacity, higher education, and cooperative society membership, the latter a factor unique to India which expresses the importance of social capital. Case studies of DakNet in Bhoomi and the Warana Village Project exemplify the potential of how rural, deprived users can leapfrog forward to productive ICT use. Policies recommended include stressing educational progress, reducing broadband cost, and strengthening cooperative societies.

Keywords: Social Capital; Mobile Phone; Indian State; Short Message Service; Digital Divide (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-662-46602-5_6

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