[Answered] India’s digital ambitions must align with the ‘right to repair’ and frugal innovation. Examine how integrating these principles can ensure inclusive, sustainable, and equitable digital governance and development.

Introduction

India’s digital transformation is rapid, but to be truly inclusive and sustainable, it must embrace the “Right to Repair” and nurture grassroots, frugal innovation that sustains technological resilience and circularity.

The Right to Repair: A Global and Indian Context

1. Globally, the Right to Repair movement has gained momentum, especially in the EU and United States, mandating spare parts availability and repair documentation. India followed suit: right to Repair Framework (2022) by Department of Consumer Affairs, National Portal (2023) covering electronics, farm equipment, and automobiles and repairability Index (2025) proposed for mobile and white goods.
2. However, these efforts remain limited without systemic integration into digital governance, education, and skill policy.

The Value of Frugal and Tacit Innovation

1. India’s repair culture is deeply embedded in jugaad — improvisation and reuse. Informal repairers, such as those in Karol Bagh (Delhi) or Ritchie Street (Chennai), extend product lifecycles, making technology accessible and affordable.
2. This work reflects tacit knowledge — passed down through mentorship and observation — that conventional digital or AI systems struggle to codify.
3. Preserving this is essential to: Reduce e-waste: India generated 1.6 million tonnes of e-waste in 2021–22, becoming the world’s third-largest producer, promote circular economy: Aligning with SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and bridge digital divide: Repair access ensures continuity of work, education, and communication for low-income groups.

Challenges to Repair Ecosystems in India

1. Design barriers: Only 23% of smartphones in Asia are easily repairable (iFixit, 2023)
2. Policy blind spots: National skilling schemes like PMKVY overlook informal repair skills
3. Exclusion from formal systems: Repairers are left out of procurement, social security, and R&D
4. Neglect of repair as knowledge: Despite NEP 2020 promoting experiential learning, tacit skills remain undocumented and unsupported

Towards Inclusive and Sustainable Digital Governance

1. Embedding Repair in Policy and Infrastructure: MeitY should mandate repairability in hardware procurement and AI development. Design for “Unmaking”: Devices must allow disassembly and modularity from inception. Extend E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 to prioritize repair before recycling
2. Formalising Informal Repair Work: Use e-Shram to register and support informal repair workers. Provide micro-certifications that value diagnostic intuition, not just manual precision. Encourage platforms like Mangrove Mitras-like “Repair Mitras” for citizen engagement.
3. Leveraging AI and DPI for Repair Justice: Use Large Language Models (LLMs) to document repair narratives. Create community-led digital repair libraries with step-by-step troubleshooting guides. Align with Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) efforts by integrating repair services into platforms like UMANG or MyGov.
4. Enabling Economic and Environmental Equity: Recognise repairers as green workers under Mission LiFE. Link repair to climate action, circular economy, and green job creation. Promote urban circular hubs and localised maker labs for repair and reuse.

Way Forward

Sustainability must not be top-down but co-created with grassroots actors. Formal R&D and informal creativity must coexist. Recognising repairers not as outdated relics, but as frontline digital stewards, is critical.

Conclusion

By integrating the right to repair and frugal innovation into digital policy, India can create an equitable and sustainable technological ecosystem that values people, preserves resources, and bridges the digital divide.