The internet has become such an integral part of our lives that most of us living in the metros take it for granted. We are used to being connected all the time, be it at work, at home and or on the move. It?s hard to imagine a world without the internet today. However, there is a world that exists in India that has never experienced the benefits of being online as yet and that world is around 80% of India, living in smaller cities and villages.

As part of Intel?s efforts to drive technology awareness and relevance in the country, we launched an initiative with Nasscom called the National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM). The intent here is to help people, who are not digitally literate, overcome their fear of using a PC and expose them to the possibilities of the internet. As a key activity under NDLM, we organise digital literacy weeks where employees from various IT companies volunteer to spread technology awareness among those who are not exposed to IT.

Recently, my volunteering assignment took me to a government school where we were trying to educate parents on how technology could help them improve their lives. Most of the parents had never been to school and had never ever touched a computer. I was assigned to work with two mothers, both unable to read or write, but both determined to see their daughters complete their education and be self-sufficient before getting married.

At first, both were convinced that computers and internet were not for them. But as they realised that it could enable them find information about potential colleges and courses for their daughters they overcame their fear and once online, there was no stopping them. From information about colleges, we were looking for recipe videos, salwar kameez patterns etc. The hunger for knowledge was insatiable once they realised the possibilities and the fear vanished.

This is what real empowerment is about…the ability to access and use information to improve your life. However, it also made me realise the enormous amount of work ahead of us to bridge the digital divide.

A basic assessment of the internet landscape in India reveals a large but skewed picture. As per IAMAI, there are over 200 million internet users in India, out of which 68 million are in the rural areas. There?s an urban and male bent that needs fixing if the true potential of the medium is to be realised. And it will not come in a single swoop. Penetration is highest among urban men at 53% and lowest among rural women at 1%. Rural women form almost a fourth of our national population while urban men form a fifth.

According to an Intel research on Women and the Web, nearly 35% fewer women than men have access to the internet in regions like South Asia. The research attributed the causes for this gap to some of the gender-based barriers like stereotypes about women?s lack of skill in technology as well as illiteracy and lack of awareness of internet?s potential benefits.

There is a clear cut need for improving internet penetration among women in India. It is an established fact that when knowledgeable and self-reliant, women tend to plough back more money into the family than their male counterparts. Some studies put this figure as high as 90% versus 50% for men. Hence when a female member of the family is

empowered, the entire family tends to progress. Internet

access can also have far reaching social impacts in terms of increasing women?s sense of equity and empowerment.

Access to the internet points to a varied platform and is

different for urban-rural levels: while most urban consumers access the internet at their home, rural consumers access the same via cyber cafes or as referred to, government run common service centres (CSCs) and their mobile phone. Currently two third of CSCs require an average of 4 km travel and this makes accessibility a challenge. The quality and ease of access needs to improve.

Around 42% consumers prefer a local language interface but end up using English. However, the lack of basic education pales all these challenges. Digital literacy has to be woven into basic literacy and start early.

The industry needs to play its part too by driving increased focus on customised solutions, be it a farmer, entrepreneur, student or a housewife. Making internet access available to the people is not a social cause. It is a matter of India?s future and economic development, cited in a report by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER). To increase our competitiveness at a global level, we need to make internet a reality in India by making it more accessible, affordable, convenient, secure, and engaging, especially for the digitally under-served.

The writer is MD, Sales and Marketing Group, Intel South Asia