India: digital divide and the promise of vaccination for all

CoWIN, an app and website to book appointments to be vaccinated, was introduced by the Government of India to vaccinate its population. However, a recent ruling by India’s apex court has drawn attention to the unfair and unequal nature of this policy towards its citizens in a country marred by illiteracy, bad internet connectivity, skewed digital infrastructure, and lack of a wider digital and public health infrastructure. Rohit Sharma analyses this recent verdict, and suggests possible ways to overcome the problems.