Digital Daan

The pandemic has significantly disrupted the education sector- which is a critical determinant of a country’s economic future.  In India, 320 million students have been affected by COVID-19 school closures, and though the government quickly recommended shifting to “online teaching,” this ignores India’s immense digital divide—with embedded gender and class divides.

The 2017-18 National Sample Survey reported only 23.8 percent of Indian households had internet access. In rural households (66 percent of the population), only 14.9 percent had access, and in urban households only 42 percent had access while only 12.5 percent students have access to smartphones. Therefore, the majority of counterparts in education sector have completely shut down for not having access to e-learning devices or solutions and thus creating a long term societal and economic impact on the young learners of rural households.

To know more, Click Here

Covid-19 DEF Dialogue

Covid-19 Relief Updates

DEF’s COVID-19 Relief Initiatives as a Digitally Enabled Humanitarian Organization

DEF launched the Digital Emergency Relief Programme through its Community Information Resource Centers (CIRC) across 600+ locations in India who have been rigorously responding to the crisis by reaching out to the most vulnerable communities. Read More

Reverse Migration during Covid-19

The informal sector in India comprises of close to 81% of the employed1 workforce with 77% coming under the category of vulnerably employed. A significant proportion of this category is comprised of seasonal agricultural migrants. Read More

Low-cost connectivity solutions fostering openness in times of Covid-19

COVID-19 pandemic has changed the daily routine of people’s lives. On March 25, the government of India announced nationwide lockdown till April 14, 2020, again extended… Read More

Migrant- Connecting, Tracking, Serving

India is unique in culture, geographic pattern, community settlements, economic or natural resources. There is wide regional disparity in development within the country. As a result, people living in rural parts belonging… Read More

कोविड-19 के लॉकडाउन के कारण दिल्ली के प्रवासी कामगारों को न तो नौकरी है और न ही सामाजिक सुरक्षा; विशेषज्ञ कानूनी संरक्षण और राजनीतिक उदासीनता को ज़िम्मेदार मानते हैं.

“बीमारी से लड़ें कि भूखमरी से. अच्छा किसको लगता है जान जोखिम में डाल कर खाना लेना. घर भी जाना चाहे तो उसके लिए भी पैसे नहीं हैं.” Read More

कोरोना महामारी के समय दिल्ली के पंजीकृत निर्माण मजदूरों को नहीं मिल पा रहा सरकारी योजनाओं का लाभ

दिल्ली में पंजीकृत मजदूरों की संख्या में लगातार कमी होने पर भी सवाल उठ रहे हैं। दिल्ली श्रम कल्याण बोर्ड में पंजीकृत हैं सिर्फ 46,000 पंजीकृत मजदूर जबकि 2015 में यह संख्या 3 लाख 17 हजार थी।. Read More

सरकारी गोदाम में सड़ रहा अनाज: राशन कार्ड नहीं होने के कारण भूखे सोने पर मज़बूर है करोड़ों परिवार

मनीषा देवी राशन कार्ड का आवेदन दिये हुए 2 साल अधिक हो चुके हैं, लेकिन उन्हें अब तक अपने राशन कार्ड का इंतज़ार है. अलग-अलग राज्यों में लाखों राशन कार्ड के आवेदन सरकारी फाइलों में धुल खा रहे हैं. Read More

समाज में बढ़ती हिंसा, सोशल मीडिया और दुष्प्रचार: क़ानूनी प्रतिक्रिया और समस्या (भाग पांच)

लिंचिंग को लेकर सरकार के द्वारा उठाये जा रहे क़दम, सरकार की मंशा पर ही बड़े सवाल खड़े कर रहे हैं. क्या इन बदलावों से सरकार सच में लिंचिंग रोकना चाहती है या कुछ और? Read More

समाज में बढ़ती हिंसा, सोशल मीडिया और दुष्प्रचार: क़ानूनी प्रतिक्रिया और अभिव्यक्ति की स्वतंत्रता (चौथा भाग)

लिंचिंग एक विशेष प्रकार की राजनीति से प्रभावित होती है, जिसका हल सोशल मीडिया के नियमों में बदलाव लाकर नहीं किया जा सकता. Read More

समाज में बढ़ती हिंसा, सोशल मीडिया और फेक न्यूज़: क़ानूनी प्रतिक्रिया और प्रेस की स्वतंत्रता (तीसरा भाग)

सरकार को फेक न्यूज़ के तंत्र को रोकने के लिए अन्य प्रभावी उपायों पर ध्यान देना चाहिए, सोशल मीडिया में ऐसे बदलाव पत्रकारों को अधिक खतरे डाल सकते हैं. Read More

समाज में बढ़ती हिंसा, सोशल मीडिया और दुष्प्रचार: वास्तिविकता और क़ानूनी प्रतिक्रिया (दूसरा भाग)

लिंचिंग के संदर्भ में सरकार द्वारा किये जा रहे सोशल मीडिया के नियमों में बदलाव को लेकर आम आदमी असहज दिख रहे हैं. उन्हें डर है कि ऐसे बदलावों से उनकी निजता प्रभावित होगी. Read More

लिंचिंग, सोशल मीडिया, फेक न्यूज़: कानूनी प्रतिक्रिया (पहला भाग)

सोशल मीडिया के नियमों में किये जा रहे बदलावों में अस्पष्टता के कारण अभिव्यक्ति की आज़ादी से लेकर निजता तक तमाम तरह के सवाल उठ रहे हैं. Read More

Five Charitable Organisations empowering local women in India

As of last year, India is the fifth largest economy in the world (IMF), and business is booming. International trade partnerships with China and the USA flourish year on year, and 271 million people have been lifted out of poverty in the past decade (UN). Read More

Why Millions Of Indians Cannot Claim Emergency Food Rations

To stave off mass hunger, the government has offered 5 kg rice and 1 kg pulses to only ration-card holders, leaving 100 million poor Indians ineligible because the master list uses nine-year-old data. And thousands with ration cards find them useless. Read More

Hungry, Broken, Bruised, Disappointed

“Ab hamein ghar jana hai, hum bohot ruk liye” (We want to go back home now. We have waited long enough), said Bharat Yadav, who was one of the many migrant workers walking back home because of no work and desperation. We met them on the way to Nuh, Haryana. Read More

Chronology of Rumours and Misinformation during Covid-19

The article tries to understand the chronology of events that started rumors, fake news and misinformation about COVID-19 that eventually managed to spread across the communities. It highlights the conditions that provide a fertile ground for rumors… Read More

How to bridge the gaping digital divide in India

Almost 27 years ago the World Wide Web rolled out the red carpet for the public without discrimination. Yet, today we stand here still talking about a digital divide that continues to exist, pushing people further into marginalisation, now more than ever before. Read More

Covid-19 Calls Humans Back to Basics: Arun Maira on What Next Post-Crisis

“There is a crisis of a condition that has happened in our lives as the members of the human society. The condition being that we are now isolated and our regular interaction suddenly disrupted. Read More

Digital Empowerment Foundation Historical Milestones of Public Engagement Policy Service since 2002

Digital Empowerment Foundation was a part of WSIS-2003in Genevaand was foundational member of World Summit Award (WSA). Read More

THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF THE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN IN RURAL INDIA

The Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) has been working on the ground through their 10,000 digital foot soldiers in 600 locations across 130 districts in India. DEF has been conducting… Read More

Covid 19 Relief Program: Creating alternate livelihood opportunities for weavers

“Essential items have become costlier. Now, getting food is becoming difficult because there is no work or earning,” said Mohammed Shiraj Ansari from Saidanpur cluster of Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh… Read More

We need Pradhan Mantri Free Talk Time and Internet Yojna during COVID19

“We need immediate help to ensure our mobiles are working and we can make calls,” said one of the migrant workers stranded on the road from Delhi towards Bundelkhand. Read More

Livelihoods in the time of pandemic: COVID – 19 and the Reaffirmation of Internet as a Basic Need

The fight against COVID – 19 should not divert attention away from digital inclusion but focus on it as a centre – piece of public health policy. Read More

DEF – USIPI Survey Finds Food Shortage and Scare Access to Medical Care in Rural Areas

US India Policy Institute (USIPI) a Washington, DC, based policy think tank and its partner Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), New Delhi have jointly instituted a social survey… Read More

Strengthening Community Resilience and Sustenance through Digital Intervention

Shivkumari, an Internet Saathi from Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, is currently producing 300 masks per day and is supplying it to the local hospitals. Read More

Internet Saathis stitch masks to meet the immediate demand

With new cases reported every day, corona virus has disrupted the people’s life globally. The pandemic has had a major effect on the entire social and economic structure of the society. Read More

Roti, Kapda, Makan or Internet?

Roti, Kapda, Makan (trans. Food, Clothing, and Shelter) has been the refrain resonating throughout India’s tryst with social and economic development from Independence until the present times. Read More

Coronavirus outbreak: As work heads home, agencies bolster digital capacity

With employees and students retreating from physical gatherings, government agencies are looking at bolstering digital capacities to handle the shift. Read More

Covid-19 Webinars

Are you up for Digital Daan?

Webinar with WSIS on Rural Broadband Policy Framework

Webinar by Rural Marketing on Digitisation in Rural India

Webinar for students of KREA University on Sustainable Response to Covid

Webinar by Sattva on Accelerating Innovations and Pathways for Inclusive Digital Finance

Economic Times’ Virtual Tech Summit session on Digitizing Services Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

#APACInsights webinar - ``What role has the Internet played in helping communities deal with the coronavirus pandemic?``

Covid-19 Relief Warriors

DEF has been working towards the betterment of the community amid the pandemic. With 10,000 digital foot soldiers across 130 districts in 23 states, it has been instrumental in providing ration, government entitlements, relief kits, vital information and banking services to keep people safe and healthy during this crisis.

As people complete over 50 days of lockdown with their families, migrant workers across India are still struggling to figure out means to reach their homes. Stranded with no food or water and very little help from authorities, DEF in an effort to help, distributed relief kits packed with cooked food, soaps, masks, milk, Glucon-D, biscuits and a water bottle.

Due to the lockdown, people are not able to visit doctors or health clinics for non-Emergency/Preventive healthcare. Healthpreneur (Health Entrepreneur) at DEF centers with DocOnline, an online doctor consultations platform available in multiple languages, are facilitating in conducting basic tests and doctor consultations through video or tele-calling.

Damyanti Kushwaha is an Internet Saathi from the village of Taudiyaar in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. She has been able to make numerous mask to help her community members and aims to stitch at least 3,000 more.

Nazmeen Ansari is a part of the Digital Clusters Development Program (DCDP), initiated by DEF in the weavers cluster of Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh. She has set herself up on the task of making masks out of vegetable bags amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Even shortage of raw materials has not put a dent in her motivation to serve the community.

Yusuf Khan, a world renowned Bhapang player, is on a mission to digitalise dying folk music of Mewat area in Alwar, under Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF). Over 100 local and folk artists visit his computer centre to book tickets online, contact international music organisations along with creating their websites and digitalising their music.

Under Digital Emergency Relief Program—DEF’s Smartpur project team in Nuh, Haryana, has been working tirelessly to provide basic essentials and government entitlements to all those in need because of the Covid-19 situation. They are also spreading awareness about the virus.

During Covid-19 crisis—Gurudev, a SoochnaPreneur in Alwar, Rajasthan, conducted a survey to prepare a list of those who are in dire need of food. He created a kit which includes—500 gm cooking oil, 500 gm lentils, 5 Kg wheat and 1 Kg rice—and distributed it amongst households in need in the area.

Calendar
  • 30 September 2020: Nomination ends for mBillionth awards
  • 15 September 2020: Nomination ends for SM4E awards
Newsletter
Media
Video
Impact
Publications

Core Projects

Covid 19 Digital Resource Centers

Locator