Use of Indian languages key for increasing internet access in India: Report

Nearly 665 million Indians or 45 per cent of the rural population did not have access to the internet as of 2023. Difficulty in understanding internet procedures, insufficient awareness of its benefits, and a lack of interest have emerged as the top reasons for a gap in internet penetration in rural India, according to a joint report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Kantar.

“The proficiency of English in rural India is very low. While we have content in Hindi, the internet is English-heavy. That barrier needs to be broken by offering more of Indic or vernacular languages on the internet, or even pushing for more voice-based commands,” said Arnab Dutta,