By Digital Empowerment Foundation Published on: May 06, 2025 In Mithiyawas, at Tijara tehsil of Rajasthan’s Alwar district, 65-year-old Ramkali was battling silent hardships. A widow dependent on her monthly pension for survival, she found herself struggling when, for several months, her pension suddenly stopped without explanation. Like many elderly residents in rural India, Ramkali…
By Digital Empowerment Foundation Published on: May 06, 2025 In the heart of Bharatpur, Rajasthan, a determined woman is challenging long-held stereotypes and redefining what it means to lead with purpose. As the coordinator of a Smartpur centre, Ataiya is not just delivering critical services like governance, healthcare, finance, and education, she is igniting change…
By Digital Empowerment Foundation Published on: May 06, 2025 In the twenty-first-century world we inhabit today, the digital domain functions as an essential reality framework that both develops communication practices and powers business operations while helping authorities function better, sustaining social movements, and changing how we live. Digital technology represents more than technical innovation since…
By Digital Empowerment Foundation Published on: February 19, 2024 Cyber fraud is a growing menace in rural India, as rapid digitalisation outpaces the spread of digital literacy. Vulnerable communities often fall prey to sophisticated scams that exploit their limited understanding of online safety. Badla village in Jharkhand is a case in point, where a resident,…
By Digital Empowerment Foundation Published on: February 19, 2024 At the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), our ongoing commitment to bridging the digital divide and empowering marginalized communities through technology is embodied in our Just AI – Data & Algorithms for Communities division. This initiative works to integrate social justice with the growing impact of AI…
By Digital Empowerment Foundation Published on: February 19, 2024 Devpura is a small, underdeveloped village in the Neemuch district, populated by members of the Banjara community. Like many rural areas in India, most of the population engages in subsistence farming, manual labour, or small-scale trade. The community is primarily comprised of Scheduled Tribes, with a…
By Digital Empowerment Foundation Published on: February 19, 2024 For years, the residents of Noorsar village, Bikaner district, Rajasthan, faced immense challenges in accessing digital services and government schemes. With no Common Service Centre (CSC) or E-Mitra facility, villagers were forced to travel 10 to 20 kilometres just to apply for essential documents, pensions, or…
By Digital Empowerment Foundation Published on: February 19, 2024 Ms Chayarani Malakar, a 30-year-old resident of Hajo, Pakhamela in Kamrup District, Assam, embarked on a transformative journey to achieve financial independence and uplift the women in her community. Previously a housewife reliant on her husband’s limited income, she sought alternative sources of livelihood to create…
By Digital Empowerment Foundation Published on: February 19, 2024 The Udyamini Program, an initiative by the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), has revolutionised livelihoods by empowering rural women with digital skills, innovation, and sustainable entrepreneurship. Through training and ongoing support, rural women entrepreneurs (RWEs) in West Bengal have built thriving enterprises in handicrafts, silk weaving, and…
By Digital Empowerment Foundation Published on: February 19, 2024 Dheeraj, a student from the Ramnagar Centre, is currently in 11th standard but he embarked on his digital literacy journey when he was in 9th standard. Before joining the digital literacy classes, he had only a basic understanding of computers. However, under the guidance of Mrs…