Internet Shutdowns Cost Indian Economy Rs 92,000 Crore, Loss Of 4,196 Hours In 2019

Dhir Acharya - Jan 14, 2020

Internet shutdowns have had serious impacts on people's lives and the economy in India, regardless of the reasons the government has given us.

India experienced a number of network and internet shutdowns. Despite authorities saying that the shutdowns were meant to keep the country in peace in sensitive areas, people suffered from damages caused to their daily lives due to the shutdowns.

According to a recently released report by Top10VPN, the economy of the country suffered too.

internet-shutdowns-cost-indian-economy-rs-92000-crore-in-2019-1 — Internet shutdowns have serious impacts on people's lives

The research company looked at the influence of internet shutdowns on economies across the world. The damages were quantified with help from Netblocks and the cost of shutdown tool from Internet Society that gets help from the World Bank, US Census Bureau, Eurostat, and International Telecommunication Union.

According to the list, Africa was damaged the most heavily, losing more than $3 billion. The second on the list is Iraq with losses of $2.3 billion.

Then there comes India in the third place with around $1.3 billion loss, roughly Rs 92,000 crore. But the researchers think the actual number could be much higher. The research pointed out that last year, there were more than 100 targeted blackouts in India, resulting in a total of 4,196 hours.

internet-shutdowns-cost-indian-economy-rs-92000-crore-in-2019-2 — The internet was shut down in Uttar Pradesh and Assam during protests against the ACC and NRC

In the research, Top10VPN also mentioned the shutdowns that have occurred since August 2019 after Section 370 was abrogated, which stripped the state from its special status, hence losses of $1.1 billion.

There had been more than 50 internet shutdowns in Kashmir as of August, preventing people there from accomplishing their daily tasks that required the internet. they had to travel to Banihal, Jammu, to access the internet.

However, they had to pay Rs 350 for each hour of using the internet at cyber coffee shops. Worse, they had to queue up to wait for their turns.

In December, many parts of Delhi and the state of Assam, Uttar Pradesh, as well as other places experienced internet shutdowns during protests against the NRC and CAA. Internet shutdowns in the North East cost $102 million (Rs 722 crore) while those in Uttar Pradesh cost $63 million (Rs 446 crore).