Politics · India Bureau
Affordable access must become fundamental right across all sectors: Scindia
Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has called for affordable access to be treated as a fundamental right across all industries, citing the telecommunications sector's success in dramatically reducing costs while expanding digital reach across India.
LSN India ·
Minister Scindia highlighted the transformative impact of India's telecom reforms on Monday, presenting data that underscores the sector's achievement in democratizing digital access. Voice call rates have declined from Rs 16 per minute during the 1990s to effectively free services, while data costs have plummeted 97 per cent—from Rs 287 per gigabyte in 2014 to approximately Rs 8 per GB today.
The expansion in user bases reflects the tangible benefits of this affordability drive. Internet users have surged from approximately 250 million to over 1.1 billion, while broadband connections have surpassed the one-billion-user threshold, representing what Scindia characterized as multiplicative rather than merely additive growth.
"Access with affordability has to be a right in every vertical, in every industry across the length and breadth of our country," Scindia stated, positioning telecommunications as a template for broader industrial transformation. The Minister's remarks underscore the government's vision of extending the cost-reduction model demonstrated by the telecom sector to other essential services and sectors, ensuring equitable access for all citizens.