Lack of local language information is hurting governance and businesses

The availability of Indian language content on the internet is miniscule, which is a matter of concern for a country as vast as India, where only about 15% of the population is proficient in English.
 
This situation is regrettable, and the responsibility lies with successive governments and bureaucratic systems. Historically, India has followed a belief that English proficiency paves the path of national progress. However, this belief overlooks the achievements of countries like Japan, China, Korea, and many others that have excelled without relying primarily on English.
 
In the past, most businesses believed that the customers who could afford their products or services were English-speaking individuals. Fortunately, there is now a changing mindset in both the government and private sectors.
 
With more than half of the internet user population in India being non-English literate, there is a growing demand for native-language content. However, the majority of available content is limited to social and digital media. This lack of local language content hinders both public services and the private sector from effectively attracting and servicing these online users.
 
Interestingly, the private sector lags behind the government in addressing this issue as many are still seeking demonstrable ROIs before investing in language-based content initiatives.
 
As digital transformation is sweeping across businesses in India, there is a widespread desire for a strong digital presence and for conducting business online. Being digital and multilingual is good for both the public and private sectors. Therefore, the private sector needs to invest in this initiative before someone new comes in and disrupts their offline business models.