Prime Minister Narendra Modi wishes “…every Indian must have a smartphone in his hand, and every field must be covered by a drone,” revealing his vision for India. The program Digital India is a game-changer in achieving that goal. He was adamant that digital technology must be affordable, inclusive, growing, and largely domestically produced. It also needed to close the digital divide and bring in digital inclusion.
India’s journey towards digital transformation has made an imprint on all parts of society, and it is ensuring that everyone has access to the internet, that services are delivered online, and that they are all included in the digital age thanks to technology that is transformative, affordable, and sustainable. India currently has the third-highest number of startups globally, with new unicorns appearing virtually weekly.
Aim of the Digital India Program
The government has started the Digital India program to make India a knowledge-based economy and a society propelled by technology by assuring digital access, inclusion, and empowerment and closing the digital divide. The initiative is focused on three main vision areas: governance and services on demand, digital citizen empowerment, and digital infrastructure as a vital utility for every citizen. The overarching objective is to ensure that digital technologies enhance the lives of all citizens, grow India’s digital economy, foster investment and employment possibilities, and develop India’s technological capacity in this area.
Initiatives Commenced by MeitY Under Digital India Program
As of right now, the following are the statuses of some of MeitY’s major nationwide initiatives under the Digital India program:
Aadhaar: Aadhaar offers a 12-digit, demographic- and biometric-based identification that is permanent, online-verifiable, and unique. The Aadhaar Act 2016 was notified on March 26, 2016, providing Aadhaar with legal support. Residents totaling over 135.5 crores have registered.
Common Services Centres: CSCs provide government and business services in digital mode in rural regions via Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs). These CSCs provide 400 or more digital services.
DigiLocker: Issuers can upload documents to digital repositories using an environment that Digital Locker offers, which includes a variety of repositories and portals.
Unified Payment Interface (UPI) is the most popular digital payment platform. It has approved 376 banks and enabled 730 crore transactions, totaling Rs 11.9 lakh crore (by volume).
The Shift to a Digital India
Digital technology in India solved the country’s most challenging issues. The Jan-Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) trinity has ensured that the most vulnerable people obtain all their legal benefits.
SVAMITVA Yojana delivers digitized land records to legitimate owners using drones and GIS technologies. In addition to reducing conflicts, this will make acquiring land for bank loans easier and permit proper village-level planning.
India is moving towards self-reliance in the electronics manufacturing sector thanks to initiatives like the Modified Special Incentive Scheme (MSIPS), Electronics Manufacturing Cluster, National Policy on Electronics 2019, Electronics Development Fund, Production Linked Incentive (PLI), and Scheme for Promotion of Electronics Components and Semiconductors (SPECS). More than 250 mobile phones, parts, and accessories production facilities exist today. Indian businesses have created versions of the 4G and 5G networks. Indians can now use the PNR, ‘Passenger Name Record, a 10-digit number. PNR Status displays the status of reserved train tickets, including whether they are confirmed, waitlisted, or RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation).
