Wide 'digital divide' between states: Assocham

There exists a stark "digital divide" among states, with Delhi having the highest score of 238 per cent while Bihar and Assam lag behind at around 55 per cent, business chamber Assocham said on Sunday, on the basis of "tele-density" or telephone connections for every 100 individuals. "India may have achieved a significant success in reaching the number of telephone subscribers to over one billion, but the tele-density data points to a stark 'Digital Divide' with large populations in Bihar, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh still being deprived to communicate with the rest of the country," the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) said in a statement. "The digital divide is clearly visible between different states with some of the eastern states not finding favour with the telecom service providers. The reasons may vary between the lack of infrastructure like power availability to even indifference in terms of business opportunities," it added. Compared to the national tele-density of 81.82 per cent, the figure for Bihar is 54.25 per cent, Assam 55.76 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 62.33 per cent and Uttar Pradesh 62.74 per cent, the report added. On the other end, while the tele-density in Delhi is over 238 per cent, that of Himachal Pradesh is 123.19 per cent. Other states figuring higher on the tele-density scale are Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Karnataka and Kerala.