India can play a leading role in Open Access adoption | The Sunday Guardian Live, April 29, 2023

"...There are several challenges ahead for open data adoption before India can fully adopt and champion an open data strategy. One of the most pressing challenges is the limited digital literacy and personnel technical capacity. Many government officials and decision-makers in India at rural and district level, lack the skills and knowledge to effectively use and interpret open data, which limits the impact of open data initiatives. In addition, the absorption of open data is low, particularly for MSMEs, which means fewer companies get to leverage the open data for competitive advantage.  Another challenge is the concern for data privacy and security. India has existing laws and regulations that must be complied with to ensure data privacy and security. Any open data initiative must take these concerns into account and ensure that appropriate measures are taken to protect data privacy and security. To overcome these challenges, the Indian government must take a multifaceted approach. First, it should invest in digital literacy programs for government officials and decision-makers to increase their technical capacity. It should also create awareness programs to educate the public on the benefits of open data and how to use it effectively. MSMEs should be specially targeted due to the increase in competitive advantage this may result, and the Indian consumers shall win through a more robust competition from the small players in the industry...."