Roadmap of digital inclusion in Northeast

Spectacular improvement in mobile connectivity in the Northeast region demonstrates the central government’s strategic push and commitment to end digital isolation of the region. Nearly 92% of the villages in the region being covered with mobile connectivity and 97% of these villages having 4G mobile connectivity speak volumes about the unprecedented transformation for inclusive growth. The challenge for the region and its people is to leverage this connectivity surge to build capability for smart navigation along the digital highway. The mobile connectivity must not be allowed to reduce to mere consumption of digital content but utilised intelligently to accelerate the pace of development in all spheres. Digital readiness of people in the region will be vital for making the best use of mobile and internet connectivity to improve the teaching-learning ecosystem in educational institutions, enabling farmers to reach out to a wider market through digital and app-based marketing and entrepreneurs to dream bigger to attract investment and scale production. Digital connectivity can help producers to establish a direct interface with buyers and end their dependence on market middlemen who exploit them and deprive them of getting remunerative prices. Growers and producers getting remunerative prices for their produce is critical for commercial viability and augmenting household income and savings and transforming farming and other productive activities from subsistence level to market leaders. For a region like the Northeast, which is rich in cultural heritage and tradition such as handloom and handicrafts, digital connectivity is a boon for artisans. Online marketing has brought opportunities to scale their production for bigger markets outside, and access to faster mobile connectivity has empowered them to plan expansion. Access to affordable logistics is essential to turn the online marketing opportunities into profitable business ventures. The states aligning their policies on e-commerce, MSMEs, industrial growth, and agricultural expansion with the mobile connectivity expansion is crucial to derive maximum benefits of access to digital technology. More than 90% of villages/habitations in border areas of the region being covered with mobile connectivity have triggered hopes for inclusive growth among people in remote areas. This has become possible with funding from Digital Bharat Nidhi projects under the Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan for the region to provide connectivity to uncovered villages and areas along the National Highways. The end objective of digital empowerment must not be allowed to be overshadowed by complacency in strengthening and taking the mobile signals all over the region, including difficult and remote border areas. Imparting digital literacy to the people will play the most vital role in ensuring enhanced connectivity to help build their capability for resilience in commercial initiatives. While priorities for smart classrooms and digital integration in education will help younger generations to acquire essential digital literacy, it is important to ensure that women, the elderly population and socially underprivileged sections do not remain excluded from the digital literacy programme. Innovative applications of digital technology, such as Direct Benefit Transfer, digital payment ecosystems, telemedicine, etc., have opened a window of opportunities for areas connected with faster mobile and internet connectivity. Panchayats and other local bodies, including traditional village institutions, need to be empowered and mandated to undertake digital literacy projects so that no one remains excluded and everyone can nurture their aspiration to leverage digital technology to improve their living standards. Improvement in the connectivity has facilitated banks and other financial institutions taking the lead in digital literacy interventions so that access to mobile connectivity can be meaningfully used to bring dynamism to day-to-day economic activities in villages. Improved mobile connectivity has also brought new hopes for improvement in disaster communication through cell broadcast systems by the Disaster Management Authority. Besides, farmers, growers, and producers can also stay updated with weather forecasts in real time and plan their routine activities to prevent losses. Without digital literacy, mobile connectivity will remain a one-way traffic of communication from the government, banks, and private entities. The power of digital access lies in interactive use – making enquiries about the status of their applications filed under various government schemes, filing grievances and getting them redressed in a time-bound manner, gathering knowledge and accessing authenticated facts for informed opinions on policies and programmes that are made for them. Lessons must be learnt from the states in the region remaining consumer states with supplies of essentials meeting the shortfall in production despite enormous potential for building self-reliance. The initiatives to impart future skills in digital technology applications, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, to youth in the region need to be linked with mobile connectivity in the region so that youths from all over the region, including remote and border areas, also get equal opportunities to acquire such skills. The mobile signal has reached far and wide in the Northeast region. The agenda now should be preparing a regional roadmap of digital inclusion of all sections of society.