ISSN 2348-1218 (print) International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovations ISSN 2348-1226 (online) Vol. 10, Issue 1, pp: (17-26), Month: January - March 2022, Available at: www.researchpublish.com
Leveraging Technology for Inclusive and Sustainable Development Dr. Avtar Singh Department of Social Work, Dr. B.R.Ambekdar College, University of Delhi
Abstract: India is a known powerhouse of software. Its share in global IT services outsourcing is 56 percent and growing every year. But the availability of electronic government services to citizens is still comparatively low. The National e-Governance Plan approved in 2006, made steady progress but it has been slow and greater thrust was required. In this background, Digital India was launched by the Prime Minister on 1 st July 2015 with an aim to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. The program would go a long way in wiping out the digital divide besides offering a slew of digital solutions in almost all sectors to help in sustainable development including education, health, agriculture, and administration. The processes of social integration, disintegration, and reintegration work themselves out through a wide range of organizations and other structured arrangements or "institutions" from the international level to that of the family. These institutions embody apart from traditions, rules using science and technology extensively for the social integration process. An equally wide range of social actors tries to make use of these institutions for purposes of self-protection and advancement, and for stabilization, reform, or transformation of the system. This paper is a conceptual attempt to explore the roles of technology in social integration which has increasingly connected people at the national level, global level, in particular, the changing the whole structure of every society as well and leverage the underlying potential to achieve global leadership status. This paper also examines the literature on how integrating science and technology can promote development. We adopt the framework in World Bank (2016). 8 which identifies the mechanisms through which the developmental process unfolds namely innovation, inclusion, and sustainable development. The subsequent sections argue that these mechanisms have been integral to inclusive development by using science, technology and innovation to promote development through these mechanisms. Keywords: Digital technologies, innovation, Inclusion, sustainable development.
I. INTRODUCTION In simple words, technology is the application of scientific knowledge. It means the production of such machinery, arrangements, and procedures meant to achieve a certain goal or perform a function. Today every field of human work, from industry to medicine, is affected by and improved with technology. The first stone tool created by man was a technological production at that time since it was a product of man‟s knowledge. In an approach to bridge the digital divide, it is necessary to get affordable, equitable, and quality access to Information & Communication Technology (ICT). It is estimated that two-thirds of the world‟s population is still offline so there is a need to provide affordable access to the internet for all. For developing countries, it has become a priority area to alleviate poverty by promoting access to ICT. At the same time, tremendous growth in the use of ICT devices and services, faster change of technology, and frequent innovations in the ICT sector had left the world with a threat of deterioration in environmental conditions and human health as the waste of electronic and electrical equipment, which contain hazardous components, is still handled in an environmentally unfriendly manner mainly in developing nations. It is a huge challenge for nations to handle e-waste in a responsible manner and protect the environment.
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