Cycle rally held
The event was jointly organised by an NGO and the NCC and NSS wings of Anandapur College. Participants also planted saplings in the college courtyard.
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The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Peering into India's digital divide
The recently released National Sample Survey report on telecom, based on a nationally representative survey held during January-March, highlights the fact that inclusion is not merely about being connected, but about how meaningfully one participates in the digital world. The Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom, 2025 (80th round of NSS) provides information on not only the scale of digital engagement among Indian youth but also persistent and nuanced divides in access, skills, and usage across rural-urban and gender lines. The report provides important insights into the adoption and usage of ICT, particularly mobile phones, across gender, age groups, and sectoral divisions in India. Mobile phone usage among youth aged 15 to 29 is nearly universal at 97.1% across both rural and urban areas, up from 94% in the previous CAMS survey (2022-23). Mobile phone ownership stands at 73.4% at all-India level. However, rural ownership (69.3%) lags behind urban (82%) by nearly 13 percentage points, while female ownership (63%) lags even further male ownership (83.3%) by 20 percentage points. This gender ownership gap has serious implications for autonomy and privacy, often forcing women to rely on male family members to participate in education, access various services, or make independent decisions online. How youth use Internet The survey reveals nuanced patterns in Internet usage across demographic groups. Over 90% of individuals aged 15-29 reported using the Internet — 92.7% in rural and 95.7% in urban areas — with little variation across gender. What stands out, however, is the significant rise in Internet use among young women, which surged from 77.1% in 2022-23 (CAMS survey) to 91.3% in 2025. This is not merely a technological trend; it's a social transformation. When it comes to Internet usage, a clear divide exists between rural and urban areas. Overall, 30.4% of individuals and 23.4% of youth reported using the Internet solely for entertainment purposes. In contrast, a significant 81.8% of urban youth reported using the Internet for both entertainment and news consumption, reflecting a broader engagement with digital content in urban settings. Gender-wise disparities are also evident. While 26% of male respondents reported using Internet primarily for entertainment, the proportion among females was notably higher at 36%. These findings underscore the need for targeted digital literacy programmes that encourage more meaningful and diversified use of the Internet, particularly among rural and female users. Gaps in ICT skills The survey goes beyond access and usage to explore what youth are doing online. A high 85.1% of youth reported being able to send emails or messages with attachments (88.8% men vs 81.1% women). But the picture is less encouraging when it comes to creation-oriented skills. Only 32.2% of youth had created an electronic presentation (34.8% men vs 29.4% women), and just 22.9% could draft documents using word-processing software (26.1% men vs 19.5% women). While 64.7% of youth aged 15 to 29 could send or receive emails, notable gaps persist: 70.6% of men vs 58.3% of women, and 59.2% rural vs 75.8% urban. These figures suggest that digital engagement among youth is largely social and transactional, not productive or transformative. Watching videos or sending WhatsApp messages is not the same as being digitally empowered. As India envisions a trillion-dollar digital economy, we need to equip the youth to use smartphone creatively such as for education, skill certification, job search, agricultural extension, healthcare, and governance use. Most important, youth must be empowered not to just consume, but to create. Cybercrime awareness Notably, only 26.9% reported the ability to file a cybercrime complaint — a critical civic skill in the digital age. However, sharp gender and rural-urban disparities persist: just 21.7% of women (compared with 31.7% of men) and 20.8% rural residents (compared with 39.3% of urban) reported this ability. These numbers underscore a critical need for strengthening digital literacy, awareness, and support mechanisms especially for women and rural populations — to ensure effective recourse in the face of online threats. Online banking The survey highlights both progress and persistent gaps in digital financial skills. About 68.7% of individuals aged 15-29 reported ability to perform online banking transactions. However, this headline masks significant disparities: only 57.5% of women (vs 79.3% of men) and 63.4% rural persons (vs 79.7% of urban) reported this ability. UPI has clearly emerged as the dominant mode of digital banking — used by 80.7% of youth — while ability to perform Net banking lags far behind at just 0.7%. However, only 18.8% of youth reported using both UPI and Net banking, reflecting limited multi-modal financial fluency. The rural-urban gap here is notable: just 13.8% of rural youth use both, compared with 27% in urban areas. These findings attest the success of India's fintech infrastructure in promoting basic financial inclusion, but also point to the need for deeper digital financial literacy — particularly for women, rural users, and small entrepreneurs who require more than one mode of online transaction to fully participate in the digital economy. Mobile ownership matters While the survey reveals a near-universal reliance on mobile phones among Indian youth — approximately 97% use them for personal calls or Internet access, suggesting digital parity — mobile phone ownership, however, tells a more complex story. In rural areas, only 56.9% of young women own a phone compared with 81.2% of young men. The gap narrows in urban areas, but remains significant: 76.1% of women vs 87.4% of men. The distinction between access and ownership is crucial. Many young women may use phones borrowed from male relatives, reinforcing dependence, and limiting privacy. Ownership also determines control over digital experiences. Whether a young person can download a learning app, post a video, or open a digital wallet often depends on whether the device is their own. For young women, particularly in patriarchal households, joint use may mean restricted use. One way to promote greater use of mobile phones and the Internet among women is by encouraging their use for education, skill development, and health-related purposes. Another approach is to train and guide self-help groups (SHGs) and self-employed women to market their businesses on social media platforms — using them effectively and smartly as marketplaces to expand their reach and customer base. Household connectivity and gaps The survey also collected information on access to mobile phones and Internet at the household level. Smartphone ownership stands at 82.1% in rural areas and 91.3% in urban areas. Similarly, 83.3% of rural and 91.6% of urban households have access to Internet facilities within their premises. However, only 7.2% of households are connected via optical fibre cable, with a notable urban-rural divide: 14% in urban areas compared with just 3.2% in rural areas. Among households with Internet access, approximately 99% are connected through a mobile network, 14.9% through WiFi network, and 14.5% use both WiFi and mobile networks. These findings show that much of rural India is online, thanks to the reach of 4G and now 5G networks, combined with affordable smartphones and data packs. Still, barriers remain. Among households not having Internet, the primary barriers cited are a lack of awareness regarding its utility and the high cost of access. This high dependence on mobile phones for connectivity highlights the importance of providing digital infrastructure. To address this, the government must provide affordable, high-quality internet access, especially in rural areas. Strengthening BharatNet's fibre optic backbone in villages with large youth populations, and establishing school- and panchayat-level Internet hubs as community access points, could serve as critical enablers for inclusive digital growth. The way forward The CMS: Telecom 2025 survey confirms that India has made significant progress in digital inclusion, particularly among its youth. It highlights the near-universal adoption of telecom services and Internet usage for a range of purposes. The key message is clear: the smartphone is no longer a symbol of privilege, but a symbol of potential — especially for young people. The challenge now before policymakers is to advance second-generation digital inclusion, ensuring that all young Indians, regardless of gender or geography, are not only connected but also empowered to use digital tools meaningfully and productively. This requires redesigning government schemes to move beyond paper-based systems and align with the expectations of a digital-first generation that seeks services at the click of a button. The government must also leverage widespread digital access among youth to deliver last-mile services directly through digital platforms, bypassing traditional local government bottlenecks. (Santosh Kumar Dash is an Assistant Professor at IRMA School, Tribhuvan Sahkari University, and Balakrushna Padhi is an Assistant Professor at BITS Pilani. Views are personal)
Deccan Herald
a day ago
- Deccan Herald
Sree Ayyappa Education Centre celebrates Yoga Day
Sree Ayyappa Education Centre, Bengaluru, marked International Yoga Day with mass yoga demonstrations, pyramid displays, and cultural activities. NCC cadets, Cubs, Bulbuls, and students participated under the guidance of yoga instructors, encouraging yoga as a path to well-being and academic growth.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Cycle rally held
Keonjhar: More than 50 students and volunteers took part in a cycle rally in Keonjhar's Anandapur town on Sunday to promote the message of a plastic-free and greener town as part of Bana Mahotsav 2025. The event was jointly organised by an NGO and the NCC and NSS wings of Anandapur College. Participants also planted saplings in the college courtyard.
