If there is one thing on which the whole world agrees, it is that Metaverse is the future. A few years back, not many people would have imagined that wedding receptions would take place in such a manner. Recently, a couple from Tamil Nadu hosted their reception on Metaverse, and the guests joined the celebration via VR headsets! 

To put it simply, Metaverse is a virtual world. Meta in Greek means “beyond”, and Metaverse hence means ‘a universe beyond the real universe’. 

But, it’s not only individuals or tech companies that are trying to tap into the immense possibilities of Metaverse. Governments around the world are also trying to introduce metaverse in their day-to-day governance. 

For instance, Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is utilising the Metaverse to create a highly connected metropolis. For all facets of its municipal governance, the city is creating a metaverse environment called the ‘Metaverse Seoul’. In an effort to enhance city services, planning, management, and support for virtual tourism, digital twins, virtual reality (VR), and collaboration have been brought together.

In a similar spirit, MuniGov is an alliance of federal, state, local, and international governments dedicated to investigating the use and tenets of Web 2.0 in an effort to enhance citizen services and communication through technology.

(MuniGov)

But, is it possible in India?

Many a time, it has been seen that while new developments that are good for humanity do take place around the world, they do not necessarily translate into the Indian landscape much in the same way. Similarly, is ‘Governance in Metaverse’ likely to become successful as a concept in India?

To know more about it, Analytics India Magazine reached out to Prashant Mishra, Founder of TechXR, which recently ranked in the All India Top 12 innovations by the Department of Telecom, Govt of India in the 5G hackathon.

“Its adoption in India is definitely going to be first in the corporate world. For example, if we talk about Accenture, they have deployed thousands of devices, and have started conducting meetings in the metaverse domain so that their productivity is increased. I feel corporations will adopt it and then they will analyse if it can be used at a larger level, because they can also afford such kinds of solutions,” said Prashant.

However, Prashant believes that the Metaverse can’t truly expand in India until more affordable options are available. 

He explained, “Metaverse would always be a distant dream in India till the time we solve the issue of affordability because we have more than 600 million smartphones in India and with advent of 5G technology, the only hurdle left behind is the affordability aspect.”

Unknown to most, the market’s most affordable VR headsets typically cost between INR 600–700. The Google Cardboard, however, is the most affordable model and costs about INR 300. However, the VR controller is where the problem lies. The decent ones come at a price range between INR 2000–3000. In a country with a per capita income of 12,500, the adoption of such tech is bound to be difficult. 

However, according to Anurag Wasnik, Innovation Leader, NITI Aayog, who recently interacted with Analytics India Magazine: “India will see rapid adoption in this technology and I expect that in the next decade, a significant amount of development would have taken place.” 

1.4 Billion people, using Metaverse?

The ‘Middle Class’ segment of India’s population, which makes up half of the country’s population, is the ideal market for such tech products. But, as we saw in the case of computers, Indian government offices were among the last ones in the world to adapt them for regular usage.

Additionally, even if this section of the society starts using such technology, it’ll still depend ultimately on how affordable the tech is. The Indian consumer is one of the most demanding ones, and after COVID-19, the expectations from the consumers have shifted. As per a report, brands are now expected to bring more value while still being affordable. So, it’s true that the prospects of Governance in Metaverse are incredible, but it’ll depend on how Indian population adapts the tech and if it is affordable.