Over the past decade, there has been universal recognition that digital literacy, access, and usability are integral components for ensuring economic development and social uplift. Service delivery of government programs, access to information, and the ability to undertake business and explore economic opportunities have all accelerated exponentially, creating new avenues for collaboration and wealth creation.
As the world population continues to grow and more people gain access to the digital ecosystem, the need has emerged to make the space more responsive to their needs. The first step towards this lies in making the internet understandable to all in a script or language they are comfortable with. Currently, most of the recognized technical requirements to access and operate the internet are in English. Thereby, it excludes a vast number of users, adversely affects the user experience, and does not allow people to use the internet to its full potential.
Recognizing the need to harness the digital space, India has led the way in utilizing its capacity. Several programs, schemes, and products have been created and launched to benefit everyone and ensure last-mile connectivity. The Universal Payments Interface (UPI) is now the world’s largest real-time payments ecosystem with more than 25 billion transactions a year.
Service delivery has also been digitalized to minimize leakages and improve efficiency through direct benefit transfers. This also includes the ability to apply online for funds to construct toilets. Similarly, schemes such as the Ayushman Bharat Health Mission are helping promote more universal and equitable access to healthcare. Several schemes have been launched under the Digital India Mission with a direct beneficial impact. These include the Digital Village Scheme covering 700 Gram Panchayats, and the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan, launched to promote digital literacy in rural India, which has more than 6.63 crore registered beneficiaries. Likewise, the E-Hospital Online Registration System has 700-plus on-boarded hospitals while Co-Win was integral to an efficacious vaccine rollout during the pandemic.
Acknowledging the importance of an internet space that caters to the needs of all people, India has been a frontrunner in boosting access by taking steps to improve digital literacy while establishing internet domains that can intuitively mainstream regional and local languages, rather than relying solely on English.
The authorities have already ensured that the .bharat domain name is recognizable in 22 official languages of the country. Moreover, Indian companies have launched systems and technologies that allow electronic mail addresses to be created in regional languages, institutionalizing Email Address Internationalization.
Besides, several other activities have been undertaken to spread awareness about the need for a multilingual internet in both the public and private sectors, engaging with industry organizations, large internet companies and even internally, among government departments.
CEO,
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Keeping these aspects in mind, the nation will be hosting the inaugural Universal Acceptance Day in New Delhi on 28 March. As a platform to promote the adoption of Universal Acceptance – the ability to allow people to use the internet in their language – India is a natural choice as the first host since it’s the world’s largest democracy. With a plethora of dialects throughout the country, India could be the hotbed of innovation in this space.
Additionally, the ongoing G20 Presidency, the nation’s commitment to the UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and its position as a leader of the developing world make it the ideal standard bearer to propel innovation in this segment. As India holds the maiden Universal Acceptance Day, it’s time for the nation to harness its strength in diversity and innovation in establishing a multilingual internet for all, thereby setting the standard for a truly inclusive digital space.