India’s recurrent internet shutdowns threaten it’s own flagship digital initiative, hurt the vulnerables

India’s frequent internet shutdowns have a disproportionately negative impact on impoverished communities that rely on the government’s social protection programs for sustenance.

The country’s extensive internet shutdowns since 2018, the highest in the world, undermines the effectiveness of the government’s flagship “Digital India” initiative, which emphasizes the importance of regular internet access for delivering essential public services.

Titled “‘No Internet Means No Work, No Pay, No Food’: Internet Shutdowns Deny Access to Basic Rights in ‘Digital India,'” an 82-page report by Human Rights Watch and the Internet Freedom Foundation reveals that these shutdowns impair crucial activities and violate economic, social, and cultural rights as defined by both Indian and international human rights laws.