In eastern Jharkhand state, children's rights activist Baidnath Kumar has been frantically sharing information on WhatsApp and fielding appeals for help from local residents, but as the crisis deepens he said being online could prove decisive. "Access to anything - beds, oxygen, medicines, doctors - is becoming more and more difficult," Kumar said. "One needs to know someone or appeal on social media for a quick response. But how many people can do that? It doesn't work." Members of poor, marginalised communities are most at risk of missing out on information and support circulated via social media. Mona Baghmare, 21, a member of the Gond tribal group, launched a support network for indigenous women living in settlements in the central city of Bhopal as coronavirus cases spiked this month. "Most of these women exist in a world outside Twitter and social media, which have become lifelines for many in need now," Baghmare said. "While we're also fundraising on Twitter with the help of friends who have accounts, the ground support is only through meetings, passing on information and phone calls. It's a slower process, but it's the only one we have."
'India's Covid-19 meltdown exposes new front in digital divide', Deccan Herald