Digitally connecting rural India through Druv
The Trusts’ digital gift to the villagers is bringing rural India much closer to development
Rupinder Singh, a school student in Kalotha village of Jaipur district in Rajasthan, struggled to get good marks in his grade 9 exams. As he moved to a higher grade, the course became tougher and along with regular classes in school, his mother began to look for additional guidance for his studies.
Rupinder had limited experience of using the internet and the power of digital content until the installation of the Druv box in his home in August 2016. Using the innovative technology, he benefitted from the study material available online, which helped him prepare better for his board exams. An initiative of Tata Trusts, Druv enables access to important information and other internet-based services in the farthest and most rural communities in Rajasthan. The educational content uploaded on the platform assisted Rupinder in his exam preparations as he could download the videos pertaining to his syllabus, which was not possible earlier. The 30-day storage feature in the box not only helped him learn, it was also useful in his revision work.
As a result, he cleared standard 10 and secured over 80 percent marks from the Rajasthan Board.
Rupinder’s father is employed with the CRPF and is usually away from home on duty. During demonetisation, the inbuilt e-wallet feature of Druv helped his father transfer money to the family. Using the platform’s digital payment system, they could pay off their utility bills on time without having to queue up at the government payment centres.
Talking about the convenience provided by the Druv box, Rupinder says, “I got my science concepts clarified sitting at home, and it was much easier for me to retain the visual content. Using the technology, I can now recharge my father’s pre-paid SIM from the comfort of our living room, even at odd hours.” He plans to continue using the Druv box until he completes his studies and seeks suitable employment in the state government department using online job portals.
This story has been taken from the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Allied Trusts Annual Report 2016-17 .
