The Paradox of Digital India Campaign


BENGALURU: The campaign launched by the Government of India to ensure that Government services are made available to citizens electronically—the Digital India Campaign—did not seem to have in account the poor computer literacy rate in our country. According to internetlivestats, there are almost half a billion internet users in India as of 2016, second only to China. Of these, 14.2 percent can create text files with about 12 percent capable of sending emails, reports TOI. The urbanized union territories fare way better than states in the number of computer literates.

Here’s a list of 10 states and union territories by the percentage of computer users who can send emails and the one’s that cannot, sourced by NSS Report no. 575.

Chandigarh leads the pack with 41.8 percent followed by the capital of India, Delhi with 38.9 percent. Taking the third spot is a representative from the North-East of India, Nagaland with 38.6 percent. The fourth and fifth spot is occupied by the southern union territories of the country, namely, Lakshadweep with 34.2 percent and Puducherry at 31.4 percent. The coastal havens Goa and Kerala take up the sixth and seventh spot with 29.9 and 27.2 percent respectively. The last three spots go to two union territories and another representative from the North-East of India. Daman and Diu at eighth with 25.7 percent, Sikkim at 24.4 percent and finishing of the list with 23 percent is Dadra and N Haveli.

The dubious distinction of topping the chart for the highest percentage of computer users who cannot send emails goes to Tripura with a percent as high as 96, closely followed by Chhattisgarh at 95.5 percent. Bihar fills the top three spots along with Tripura and Chhattisgarh with the percentage of computer users that cannot send emails at 95.1. The picturesque state of Manipur takes the fourth spot with 93.7 percent while coastal Odisha with 93.1 percent comes in at fifth. The sixth, seventh and eighth spot are taken by Jharkand, Assam and UP with 92.9, 92.6 and 92.1 percent respectively. Adding finishing touches to the list are West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh with 91.5 and 91.4 percent respectively, of those who are not capable of sending emails.

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