Why in news?
The Digital India programme celebrated its 10‑year anniversary on 1 July 2025. Launched on 1 July 2015, it aimed to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
Vision and pillars
- The programme rests on three vision areas:
- Digital infrastructure as a utility: Providing high‑speed internet, digital identities and payment systems to every citizen.
- Governance and services on demand: Making government services available in real time via online platforms.
- Digital empowerment of citizens: Ensuring digital literacy and universal access to digital resources.
- It initially comprised nine pillars: Broadband highways, universal access to mobile connectivity, public internet access programme (common service centres and post offices), e‑governance, e‑Kranti (electronic delivery of services), information for all, electronics manufacturing, IT for jobs and early harvest programmes.
Major achievements (2015‑2025)
- Growth in connectivity: Internet connections increased from about 25 crore in 2015 to 97 crore in 2025. Over 4.7 lakh 5G towers cover 99.6 percent of districts.
- BharatNet: Optical fibre cables have reached 2.18 lakh gram panchayats, improving broadband access in rural areas.
- Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI):
- Aadhaar: Provides biometric identity to over 1.3 billion people and underpins authentication for various services.
- Unified Payments Interface (UPI): Facilitates real‑time payments; India accounts for about 49 percent of global real‑time transactions.
- DigiLocker: Offers secure digital document storage; more than 53 crore users store documents like Aadhaar, driving licences and educational certificates.
- UMANG app: Provides access to over 1,600 government services in 23 Indian languages.
- Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): Has transferred over ₹44 lakh crore directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts, reducing leakages.
- Digital literacy: Schemes like PMGDISHA have trained over 6 crore rural citizens in basic digital skills.
- Promotion of start‑ups: Government platforms such as ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) and GeM (Government e‑Marketplace) promote digital entrepreneurship and transparent procurement.
- Economic impact: The digital economy’s share in GDP has grown from about 4 percent in 2014‑15 to 11.7 percent in 2022‑23. It is projected to reach 13.4 percent by 2024‑25.
Challenges
- Digital divide: Significant disparities remain between urban and rural areas, and among different socio‑economic groups. Many villages still lack reliable electricity or internet connectivity.
- Cybersecurity and data protection: Rapid digitisation has increased vulnerabilities. A comprehensive data‑protection law is necessary to safeguard privacy.
- Linguistic barriers: While services are available in multiple languages, much content remains in English, limiting access for non‑English speakers.
- Skill mismatch: The pace of technology adoption outstrips the availability of trained personnel, particularly in emerging fields like artificial intelligence.
- Infrastructure maintenance: Connectivity infrastructure often deteriorates due to poor maintenance and lack of local capacity.
Way forward
- Strengthen digital education: Expand platforms such as DIKSHA and SWAYAM for school and higher education; provide digital devices and connectivity to students.
- Bridge the rural‑urban gap: Invest in last‑mile connectivity, energy access and local digital entrepreneurs.
- Inclusive artificial intelligence: Develop AI solutions in Indian languages and for local contexts; ensure ethical AI frameworks.
- Improve data security: Enact a strong data‑protection law, encourage privacy‑by‑design in government projects and increase cyber awareness.
- Digital diplomacy: Share India’s digital public goods (Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker) with Global South countries through international cooperation.
- Sustainable manufacturing: Encourage semiconductor fabrication and green electronics manufacturing in India to meet the growing demand for devices.