Latest News | Universal Acceptance Mode to Connect Non-internet Users, Promote Digital Inclusion: Meity Official

New Delhi, Mar 28 (PTI) Internet accessibility in multiple languages is crucial for bridging the digital divide and digital inclusion which can be achieved through Universal Acceptance, a senior Meity official said on Tuesday.

Universal Acceptance is a concept to promote all website names and all addresses in all types of software applications regardless of the script and length.

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While Latin language script dominates the internet, global internet body ICANN-supported Universal Acceptance Steering Group (UASG) has worked to 30 new scripts to the internet technology to facilitate website name booking as well as email communications in native scripts like Devnagri, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu etc.

Ministry of Electronics and IT, Additional Secretary Bhuvnesh Kumar said India is home to more than 18,000 dialects and the country has the most internet users but it must be noted that language barriers also make it a base of the largest numbers of non-users who do not speak English.

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"It is very important that we not just provide internet services but also create emails and websites in native languages. Providing a multilingual internet user interface is crucial for bridging the current digital divide. Through Universal Acceptance, we can connect with non-internet users and promote digital inclusion across the country and the world," Kumar said.

UASG is driving a campaign to create awareness around the availability of internet access in multiple scripts which led to the creation of Universal Acceptance Day.

UASG Chair Ajay Data said that India has become the first country to host the first Global Universal Acceptance Day which will now be celebrated every year on March 20.

"We celebrated UA day globally in 42 countries with 53 events. The India event was a Global event to launch the universal acceptance day and this is going to be celebrated on March 20 every year from now on," Data said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)