2 in 3 Indians can't stop using phones: Survey
New Delhi, July 6 : Digital devices have now become such a big part of so many people in India that two-thirds of users in the country find it difficult to stay away from their mobile phones even for a day, shows a new survey.
The global average of users unwilling to separate from their mobile phones stands at 48 per cent, according to the report titled "The State of Digital Lifestyles - 2018" from Limelight Networks, a global digital content delivery platform.
Indian consumers ranked second, after Malaysia, for being the most addicted to their digital devices, showed the findings based on a survey of consumers in 10 countries.
Laptop and desktop computers were the second most integral digital technology for Indian users, with 45 per cent of respondents reporting that they could not go without them for even a day, which is highest in the survey and 12 per cent more than the global average of 33 percent, Limelight Networks said in a statement.
More than 90 per cent of Indian respondents said digital technology had positively impacted their lives. India users also showed the highest level of engagement across all types of online digital content among all the countries surveyed.
More than 75 per cent Indian respondents said they downloaded or streamed music at least once a week, the highest rate among the surveyed countries.
Indian respondents also displayed higher inclination to downloading movies and watching them offline, which is 12 per cent higher than the global average, the report said.
"India has made remarkable progress in terms of digital adoption. One of the key takeaways from the survey has been that the Indian users are clearly more willing to adopt digital products and services and make it a part of their day-to-day lives," said Gaurav Malik, Country Head, India at Limelight Networks.
"This is a positive sign for all stakeholders, including market players, consumers and the government as it leads to a win-win proposition for everyone and will boost the productivity of the nation as the digital adoption increases," Malik added.
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11k litres of milk poured into Narmada river after religious event; environmentalists see red
Sehore (PTI): Around 11,000 litres of milk were poured into Narmada river, often called the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh, in Sehore district on the culmination of a 21-day religious event as part of a sanctification ritual, prompting environmentalists to flag its negative impact on the ecosystem.
The event concluded at Satdev village in Bherunda area, located about 90 km from the district headquarters, with a 'mahayagna' on Wednesday.
The milk was offered to the river as part of rituals and prayers for the purity of the waters, the well-being of pilgrims and prosperity, organisers said.
The milk was brought in tankers to the riverbank and later poured into the flowing water amid chanting of mantras in the presence of a crowd of devotees.
However, environmentalists raised concerns over the practice, warning of its potential ecological impact.
"Such large quantities of organic matter can deplete dissolved oxygen in water, adversely affecting the river ecosystem. These impact local communities dependent on the river for drinking water and threaten aquatic life as well as domestic animals," noted environmentalist and wildlife activist Ajay Dube said.
Religious offerings should be symbolic and mindful, he asserted.
Renowned environmentalist Subhash Pandey said 11,000 litres of milk acts as a significant organic pollutant.
"It is highly oxygen-demanding and can lead to oxygen depletion, aquatic mortality, eutrophication (process of plants growing on river surface) and loss of potability. These effects are predictable from dairy-effluent chemistry and have been documented in similar incidents worldwide," Pandey pointed out.
Narmada originates at Amarkantak in the state and traverses 1,312 km westward to Maharashtra and Gujarat, emptying into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Cambay.
It is the largest west-flowing river in the peninsula, passing through a rift valley, and acts as a crucial water source for irrigation in MP, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
