Age against the machine: Charles Assisi on seniors and Digital India

Charles Assisi recounts helping his 75-year-old mother in Fort Kochi fix a set-top box issue requiring OTPs and an app she cannot use alone.

The task involved coordination across Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Fort Kochi, and highlighted the difficulty seniors face with Digital India services.

Assisi contrasts the ease of digital tasks for younger users with the alienation and dependence experienced by elderly citizens.

Examples of OTP-based processes include the Special Intensive Revision exercise, passport renewal, gas cylinder ordering, and TV service restoration.

The article questions whether 'ease of use' is real if it excludes millions of senior citizens.