ForumIAS LATEST
- SFG FRC 2027 | Program starts from 19th Dec. 2026 | Admissions open for Entrance Test Click Here to know more →
- Prelims Test Series (PTS) for Prelims 2027 starts 11th Oct. 2026 Click Here to know more →
- [Pre-order] Ethics Redbook 3rd Edition: Delivery starts from 10th October onwards Click Here to Read More →
- 21 Sept. | GS Advance Program (GSAP) for UPSC 2027 Mains starts from 11th Oct. Click Here to Read More →
.Synopsis – The current technocratic-based vaccination drive in India excludes the digitally illiterate population of the country. It is leading to substantial biases and inequality.
Introduction-
- The GOI launched CoWin portal to digitize the vaccination drive and made online registration mandatory for vaccination booking [18-44 age groups].
- The approach has resulted in a digital divide among the rural population. Moreover, it also brought several other issues, such as vaccine exclusion and lack of privacy, with it.
Key issues with the current technocratic based vaccination drive
- Firstly, Lack of technical literacy –With no internet access and understanding of CoWin portal functions, the majority of India’s rural population is left out of COVID vaccination efforts.
- Concerns-
- Digital divide- Only 34.60 percent of the rural population has access to the internet.
- Lesser registration through CoWin portal- According to CoWin data, only 2,52,96,511 of the 14,42,10,652 vaccine registrations [for 45-plus age group] were done through CoWin.
- Concerns-
- Secondly, the COWIN portal ignores data protection and cybersecurity- The CoWin website lacks a privacy policy, putting medical healthcare data at risk of disclosure through third-party providers.
- The CoWin website is contrary to-
- The Supreme Court’s right to privacy judgment
- Also, the GOI’s departmental guidelines for official websites states that while collecting data, government websites “must incorporate a prominently displayed privacy statement…”.
- The CoWin website is contrary to-
- Thirdly, Use of Facial recognition technologies FRT also poses a threat to privacy – The CEO of the National Health Authority said that Aadhaar-based FRT will soon replace biometric fingerprint or iris scan machines at Covid-19 vaccination centres. It will avoid infections.
- The FRT will increase the risk of exclusion and discriminatory outcomes. Moreover, FRT is not an accurate mode of identification, thus affecting the proper dispensation of the shots.
The technocratic approach is prioritizing data collection and efficiency over vaccine equity. It disregards the experience of public healthcare and digital rights experts. The present deployment of CoWin, is undermining the right to health, instead of augmenting it.
Source-The Indian Express
