India drops 15 positions to 83rd on Networked Readiness Index
The index measures the capacity of economies around the world to leverage information and communications technology for growth and well-being
New Delhi: India dropped 15 positions to 83rd on the Networked Readiness Index (NRI), which measures the capacity of economies around the world to leverage information and communications technology (ICT) for growth and well-being, said the 13th edition of Global Information Technology Report 2014 released on Wednesday night.
The report, prepared by the World Economic Forum, INSEAD business school, and Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, assessed 148 countries this time as compared to 144 in its 12th edition last year. India ranked 68th on the index in 2013.
The top 10 economies that are using information technology for growth the most or at an optimum level, included Finland (1st), Singapore (2nd), Sweden (3rd), the Netherlands (4th), Norway (5th) and Switzerland (6th), all retaining their positions from last year.The US continued its upward trajectory and ranked seventh as compared to ninth last time, while Hong Kong SAR (eighth) and the Republic of Korea (10th) both climbed up from 14th and 11th positions respectively a year ago. The UK was the only nation in the top 10 which fell one place to 9th position.
Apart from India, China, Brazil and Mexico saw a drop in their rankings this year. “Many large emerging economies continue to struggle to realize their full digital potential," the report said.
According to the report, little progress is being made in bridging the digital divide between technology savvy nations and others.
“In addition to the persistent digital divide across countries, governments should also be wary of understanding, identifying and addressing potential internal digital divides so that new opportunities can be created for all and support enhanced social inclusion," said Beñat Bilbao-Osorio, senior economist at the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness and Benchmarking Network and co-editor of the report.
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