Kerala crosses critical threshold in social inclusion by becoming fully digitised state

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has crossed yet another milestone in its journey as a high performer in social development and inclusion by becoming India’s first fully digitised state.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will make the declaration at a function here on August 21.

The achievement comes in the wake of an innovative campaign that mobilised local bodies, government departments, and civil society organisations.

Launched in 2023 with the Local Self-Governments Department as the pivot, the ‘Digi Kerala’ campaign reached down to the grassroots to survey the level of digital penetration and skill, and to plug the gaps wherever needed.

According to the government, the drive has recorded a success rate of 99.99 per cent. The programme trained over 21 lakh individuals of all age groups, mostly from the lower strata, to acquire basic digital skills such as making voice and video calls, accessing government services online, using internet banking, and navigating social media platforms.

Equitable and prompt access to a wide range of government services and benefits was stated as a prime aim of the campaign. This becomes critical when all services are migrating to digital platforms, including delivery of social security payments, which cover millions in the state.

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To enable this transition smoothly and seamlessly, the government also scaled up digital infrastructure by launching state-run services like K-Fon (Kerala Fibre Optic Network), which promises internet services at much lower rates.

According to a campaign spokesperson, Kerala’s campaign has gone beyond the national literacy mission by setting aside the age bar of 60. “We have been able to set a sustainable and inclusive model for the entire country,” the spokesperson added.

Crossing this critical threshold also marks a strategic leap in the state’s calibrated transformation into a knowledge economy powered by tech-driven enterprises.

Touting it as a ‘digital revolution’, the LDF Government claims this first-in-country achievement is a paradigmatic shift comparable to Kerala attaining 100 per cent literacy in early 1991, which too was propelled by a mass campaign and set a widely acclaimed national model of social inclusion.

Beyond the claim, the fast-paced transition towards digital inclusion signals a profound political shift in the CPI(M)’s approach to technological disruptions, setting aside doctrinal rigidity of the past.

Decades ago, when computers made their way into workplaces across the world as the principal tool with the potential to revolutionise long-held socio-economic paradigms, the party had opposed the transition. The party and its trade union fronts had even mounted a campaign then, protesting that computers posed a grave threat to jobs and were a capitalist tool to maximise profits.

Over the years, the CPI(M) and other Left parties, however, reset their policy towards technological shifts, apparently on realisation of the futility of their opposition. In due course, the Indian Left turned into a positive voice for computerisation of governance, acknowledging it as inevitable to enhance transparency and efficiency in service delivery.

In recent years, the LDF Government in Kerala has pursued upfront policy initiatives to build a conducive ecosystem in the state for high-tech industries, including those leveraging Artificial Intelligence and robotics.

As part of this, Kerala has launched a slew of information and communication technology projects and e-Governance initiatives aimed at establishing fundamental IT infrastructure.

There has also been a complete shift to online procedures in the industrial approval and regulatory regime, seeking to enhance ease of doing business, attract more investments, and remain competitive in the techno-entrepreneurial space.