Digital Democracy

Internet had rapidly changed the world for everyone. Governments are trying to use the Internet to reach services to rural and remote areas. But there is a world, which is totally oblivious to the world of the Internet. There is a big gap where technology and knowledge are inaccessible. The result is that a big section of the society remains oblivious to this fine medium. Vikas Samvad has tried to resolve this issue through its Digital Democracy campaign. It has tried to make knowledge accessible and to build such a bridge where maximum people could use the Internet medium to get their rights and access services meant for them. In this campaign, the youth of particular communities themselves have become the conduit for the effort to connect common people with the Internet world. In Madhya Pradesh, 400 youth have been equipped to raise the issues of their communities through online media and getting them resolved. They are also reaching information and knowledge to the common people. This is a model which shows how the digital divide could be bridged. The programme is continuing with the youth linked to the Dastak youth groups of Vikas Samvad taking it forward.