March, 2025
Cover Story
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 it functions as a communication channel and stimulates industrial development... Read more
Digital Op-Ed
It started with an unexpected error—an error in digital identification and an urge to prove my existence. While refining an early draft of my cover letter for a post-doctoral fellowship, my name appeared altered: Dhiraj Singha became Dhiraj Sharma. The error was subtle. Sharma, a surname of a privileged caste; Singha, a surname usually used by the Scheduled Caste community in West Bengal.
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Stories from the Ground
Access and Infrastructure
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 across her community. Ataiya's work earned her the prestigious UNICEF award for U-Report, a platform where young people raise their voices on issues such as child marriage, education, and employment. Read more
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 was unaware that annual pension verification before 31st December was mandatory to continue receiving benefits. Read more
Education and Empowerment
A group of rural women demonstrates that learning opportunities exist for every age group in a distant rural area. These women, known as Champion Sakhis, use their curiosity together with smartphones and their passion for learning to enter the digital world with both pride and confidence. Initially, it was a wonder what attributes made these women turn into champions. These women are determined and full of enthusiasm. All women across every age group trust in continual learning and display adaptive behaviours while supporting others. Read more
Chandni, a 28-year-old resident of Chvad Padi village in Rajasthan’s Alwar district, lives with her husband, father-in-law, and three young children, one son and two daughters. Coming from an economically marginalised background, Chandni has long defied gender stereotypes in her pursuit of financial independence and dignity. Read more
Market & Social Enterprises
Salem is a paradise surrounded by hills and dotted with hillocks. With its vibrant culture, Salem is significant in various aspects, noteworthy for its location and social setup. Besides its well-known textile industries, especially handloom products and handicrafts, Salem is also known for its eye-catching scenic tourist attractions for nature lovers, trekkers, and eco-tourists. To enhance rural tourism and provide an alternative livelihood for the people of Salem not involved in the handloom industry... Read more
For centuries, handloom weaving has been deeply woven into Bengal’s cultural fabric, and the town of Santipur in Nadia district is particularly celebrated for its exquisite textiles. Among its many artisans, Sheuli Khatun stands out as a passionate weaver preserving and evolving this rich tradition. Sheuli began her journey into handloom weaving at the age of 18, learning the craft from her mother. Read more
Governance and Citizen Services
In the rural heartlands of Karor village, Haryana, a quiet revolution is unfolding. Jamuna Devi, a 35-year-old woman, once worked as a farmhand on her husband’s land, unaware of the opportunities that government schemes and collective self-help could bring her way. With no formal education and limited awareness of her rights, Jamuna’s life began to change when SoochnaPreneur Mala Yadav arrived in her village with a laptop and an internet connection. Read more
In the village of Gurmukh Ki Dhani, Tijara Tehsil, Alwar, Rajasthan, 65-year-old Santo Bai has endured a life of physical hardship and financial insecurity. Living with a disability in both legs, she depends on her government-issued disability pension to survive. But withdrawing that pension each month became a daunting ordeal. With no way to walk on her own, she relied heavily on relatives or neighbours for help, often waiting weeks, even months, just to access her rightful income. Read more
Research and Advocacy
As AI shapes governance and society, its design often reflects existing inequalities rather than dismantling them. In India, the gender digital divide already limits access to technology, with women, transgender, and non-binary individuals facing systemic barriers. When AI systems reinforce these exclusions through biased hiring algorithms, predictive policing, and financial discrimination, they become tools of oppression rather than empowerment. AI must recognize that subjectivity is crucial in understanding citizens and their aspirations. Lived experiences, socio-economic realities, and cultural contexts cannot be reduced to data points alone. To build a just AI, we must move beyond binary gender frameworks, challenge dominant narratives, and center the voices of marginalized communities. The question is not just about AI’s potential but who it serves and who it leaves behind. The gender digital divide in India is a stark reality that restricts women's and marginalized gender communities' access to technology. Limited access to mobile phones, the internet, and digital literacy exacerbates existing social inequalities. Read more
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. Read more
Regular Features
Oral Bytes
Transforming the Education Ecosystem through STEAM
Strengthening and Building Resilience of Women Entrepreneurs
Expert Says
What does data justice mean for the millions in India who are unconnected, yet governed by digital systems?
In this powerful reflection, we explore the harsh reality of how digital identity, biometric authentication, and financial access are impacting India's marginalised communities. With over 350 million people still offline, many are forced to engage with digital systems they do not fully understand, just to receive basic entitlements like food or cash transfers.
From accessing rations to operating bank accounts, individuals are increasingly at the mercy of data systems, often without digital literacy or consent. Their identities are reduced to data points, visible to others but unreadable to themselves, exposing them to daily injustices.
This video challenges us to ask: Are our digital policies truly inclusive, or are they perpetuating exclusion and vulnerability? As India rapidly digitises, it is time to place data justice at the heart of digital governance.
Watch, reflect, and join the conversation on building a fairer digital future.
eChampion
Digital is a 21st-century tool of communication, media, business, governance, activism, and social norms. Digital is not merely technology, it is life, a medium, innovation, and marketing. Yet, critical questions arise: Who controls and benefits from this digital existence? Whose narratives remain unheard? However, the larger society is constantly being left out or excluded and either data fields or data mined for control and appropriation. These questions have guided our journey. Read more