As many as 189 tribal colonies in Kerala still lack Internet access

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Last Updated23/08/2023

Approx 189 Adivasi ooru (tribal colonies) in Kerala still have no access to Internet and mobile connection.
According to the data, Idukki has the highest number of tribal colonies cut off digitally from the mainland.
Kerala was the first State in the country to declare the right to Internet as a basic right.

The Forest department’s permission is required to set up towers in tribal colonies situated inside the forest under the provisions of the Forest Rights Act.
Internet and mobile connection in these colonies would be made available under a Union Cabinet-approved project that aims at providing 4G mobile services in remote areas.

It is a project aimed at providing free Internet access to 20 lakh below the poverty line (BPL) families in the State and providing Internet connection at a nominal rate to the public.
It was launched in 2019 and the first phase of the project was commissioned in June 2023.

The Supreme Court held that the Right to access to the Internet is fundamental right and declare it as part of
- Article 19(1)(a) Freedom of Speech and Expression
- Article 19(1)(g) right to practise any profession or to carry on any occupation, trade or business over the medium of internet.
The Kerala High Court had earlier held that the right to have access to the Internet is part of the fundamental right to education as well as the right to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution.
The Human Rights Council of the United Nations also regards the Right of access to the Internet as a fundamental freedom and a tool to ensure the right to education.