India’s New Internet Frontier

India is embarking on a new frontier as a digital revolution is sweeping across the country, seeking to provide internet access to half of the country. More than 50 percent of India’s population only recently received access to electricity due to its massive population, rural areas, and lack of modern infrastructure preventing India’s expansion in the modern world. The lack of electricity and internet has seriously impeded the country’s economic growth, but its global market is rapidly changing and will likely become one of the world’s largest consumer nations in the next five years. 

Over half of the world’s population is on the internet, leaving about 3.5 billion people without access and more than a third in India. India is restricted because significant portions of its geography are extremely rural, off the grid, and virtually stagnant in regards to modern data access. Foreign investments, outside funding, and young people's popularity have become catalysts for India’s rapid internet revolution. Silicon Valley businesses in the United States like Google and Facebook have begun funding digital infrastructure development across India. The inundation of wifi services, hotspots, and digital literacy programs are some of the investments large American businesses have contributed to India. Initial projects have supplied free wifi services at major train stations and initiatives to provide low-cost broadband to large percentages of the unconnected population. 

A major ignition to India’s rapid growth was the COVID-19 pandemic which saw the world relying on internet services more than ever before. Global shutdowns substantially boosted consumer use of services, increasing from 21 percent of households in 2017 to 61 percent during 2021. Internet access became a necessity as the world shifted toward remote learning, e-commerce, and communications. Other plights increasing India’s transition to a digital economy are the attraction from young consumer demographics under 30. In fact, most Indian internet consumers fall within that age bracket in both rural and urban areas. 

There is a massive gender gap in the percentage of young users, as women in most rural areas lack opportunities to utilize any digital means. These gender gaps are consistent in rural and urban regions however, low-cost options and literacy programs specifically designed for these women are slowly decreasing the gaps. The digital access rapidly changing India’s markets and daily life must overcome these divides to embrace its digital era fully. 

Future growth will require further systematic and societal developments to inspire needed implementations of a digital India. India's number of active users is expected to continue increasing more than 45 percent within the next five years, providing access to approximately 900 million people and changing global connectivity forever. 

Drastic Changes to India’s Air Pollution During the Pandemic

While the world faced unprecedented lockdowns amidst the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020, many environmental scientists observed significant beneficial impacts the lack of human activities caused on Earth’s natural systems. Urban areas were inhabited by local wildlife species that had not been seen in decades, water resources began to purify and significantly reduce air pollution. India’s large cities are well known for their environmental pollution, and the lockdowns created the opportunity for numerous improvements for India’s atmospheric status. 

Air pollution is rampant across India because of its enormous population size and concentrated city infrastructure. Air pollution results from too many greenhouse gases like aerosols, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide collecting in the atmosphere. These gases lead to increased temperatures as they capture and hold solar radiation. They also increase cloud retention of particulate matter that can be detrimental to surface resources and human health. 

The World Health Organization’s study of global air pollution indicates it poses a significant health risk, responsible for killing 7 million people a year and impacting many more. The COVID-19 outbreak is only responsible for 2.5 million deaths per year to place that statistic into context. In India, contributing sources of atmospheric pollution include vehicle byproducts, industrial power generation, material kilns, and suspended particulate dust contaminants. A report by IQAir identified the top 10 most polluted cities globally, and 9 of them were in India. 

India’s urban areas previously blanketed in smog and pollution experienced substantial reductions, extending views to the horizon in many places. Indians in Punjab could see the Himalayas more than 100 miles away! India’s Central Pollution Control Board found more than 85 cities across India with significantly reduced air pollution in only the first week of the pandemic. The report also measured New Delhi, the capital of India, with a more than a 44% reduction in only the first day of restrictions! It is estimated that more than 90 percent of road and transportation activities across the country were halted at the start of the pandemic.

Restrictions were lifted as the early pandemic lockdowns concluded, and life in India seemed to go back to the levels of pollution it created before. This is incredibly worrying because high levels of pollution in the air can highly damage a person’s health. If pollution levels do not rescind, ailments like headaches, respiratory issues, and virus susceptibility will become rampant. Toxic pollution also increases susceptibility to contracting COVID-19 because of its involvement in damaging respiratory cells, severely impacting at-risk demographics. 
Parents are forced to keep children home from school many days throughout the year because the overlying smog is too dangerous to breathe in. This saw many schools respond with waning attendance rates even after restrictions were lifted.