‘GST relief on computers for children could bridge digital divide’

Intel India is pushing for policy intervention to address what it sees as a critical infrastructure gap.

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In a conversation with Anees Hussain, Santosh Vishwanathan, vice president and managing director of Intel India, talks about how policy intervention could help bridge the existing digital divide while also highlighting the company's efforts to transform education delivery across India. Excerpts:

You have proposed GST relief on computers for educational use. Howwould this work?

We are suggesting GST relief on computers for education using APAAR ID (Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry) as authentication validation. Just like paper, pen, pencil, and textbooks have zero GST, for kids computers should also be at the lowest tax cost because it is an investment in their future. You can prevent misuse through verification and connect this to the ‘Make-inIndia' objective, which could fuel adoption while supporting domestic manufacturing.

What is driving this urgency around computer access in education?

The numbers are stark. India's computer-to-student ratio is 1:120, while some Western countries have 1:1 and even countries like China and Indonesia have 1:10 to 1:20. We have 400 million kids in the education system, but less than 50% of schools have working internet, and many schools have just two functional computers.