How has Covid impacted India’s digital divide?

Available for over a year

India has more than 630 million internet subscribers - that is more than the population of the US, the UK, Russia and South Africa put together. India also has among the world’s cheapest mobile data prices and affordable devices, which has drastically improved internet access in the last few years. All of this excitement, however, has the sobering reality of India's continuing digital divide. For every Indian who has access to the internet, there is at least one who does not - and that person most likely lives in a rural area. The coronavirus pandemic and its resulting lockdowns are pushing everyone unexpectedly toward an online-only environment, and the spotlight has now shifted to rural India. So, in this edition of WorklifeIndia, we discuss how the pandemic is forcing a change toward digital lifestyles in the country. Presenter: Devina Gupta Contributors: Osama Manzar, founder and director, Digital Empowerment Foundation; Avipsha Thakur, founder, Bunavat; Amith Agarwal, co-founder & CEO, AgriBazaar eMandi