Theme: Digital Economy | Will India be a $1 trillion digital economy?

India’s digital infrastructure has witnessed a huge transformation since the 1990s. The country is expected to have more than 900 billion internet users by 2025. India’s digital economy is also growing rapidly.  However, there is a huge digital divide between rural and urban India. Within urban areas, many are not able to access the internet as telecos are increasing user charges. Almost half of the nation’s population does not have internet access. Similarly, there is a huge gendered digital divide.  How do we ensure that the digital growth is even in India? What are the policies associated with digital development in our country? What is the future of data protection in India? In this episode of the State of the Economy podcast hosted by businessline’s Thomas K Thomas, Deepak Maheshwari, Public Policy Consultant, decodes these questions.  Delving deep into the subject, Maheshwari takes us down memory lane and talks about when the nation first started its internet service and discusses where India starts now. He also talks about the importance of cyber well-being and the future of data protection in India.   While talking about overall cyber well-being, Maheshwari draws an interesting analogy with health. Just like we follow a healthy diet and exercise for a healthy lifestyle, we also need to follow certain rules, such as using less screen time.  Lastly, he sheds light on the question: Will India be able to be a $1 trillion digital economy? Listen in.  (Host: Thomas K Thomas, Producers: Anjana PV & Nabodita Ganguly) ______________________ About the State Of The Economy podcast India’s economy has been hailed as the bright spot amid the general gloom that seems to have enveloped the rest of the world. But several of its sectors still stutter about even while others seem set to fire on all cylinders. To help you make sense of the bundle of contradictions that the country is, businessline brings you podcasts with experts ranging from finance and marketing to technology and start-ups.