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“We have added more internet subscribers in rural areas in the last 3 years (2019-21) than in their urban counterparts (95.76 million vis-a-vis 92.81 million in rural and urban areas respectively),” said the Survey.
It attributed the growth to dedicated digital initiatives across rural areas through government schemes such as the BharatNet project, Telecom Development Plan, Aspirational District Scheme, initiatives in North-Eastern Region through Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan (CTDP) and initiatives towards areas affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE), among others.
As per the Survey, the Centre’s efforts to focus on bridging the gap between rural and urban internet penetration has borne positive results.
“This significant growth in rural India was the major shock absorber during the COVID-19 pandemic when both businesses and consumer demand were impacted. When majority of the workforce reverse-migrated to rural areas in search of livelihoods, agriculture (3.4 per cent growth in FY20-21), as well as the world’s largest employment scheme MNREGA, supported the domestic economy,” the Survey said.
The development of digital infrastructure over the years in rural areas ensured timely and transparents payments to the beneficiaries of government scheme directly into their bank accounts which limited their exposure to the Covid virus, and with affordability and accessibility to private education restricted, the digital support system in government schools absorbed the then much-needed enrolment to counter the learning gap.
“As schooling went online for a considerable period even post-pandemic, the increase in internet subscriptions in rural areas helped mitigate learning loss significantly. This even facilitated the successful rollout of mass vaccination in rural areas,” said the Survey. “The 200 per cent increase in rural internet subscriptions between 2015 and 2021 vis-a-vis 158 per cent in urban areas, reflects the increased impetus the government is putting to bring rural and urban digital connectivity to the same level,” it added.
It said that continuous proliferation measures such as the BharatNet project shall improve accessibility, affordability, connectivity, and inclusivity pan-India.
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