6 Years of Digital India Mission

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    Recently, a virtual event was held to commemorate 6 years of Digital India.

    About

    • The Prime Minister emphasized that data, demographic dividend present a huge opportunity and this decade will be ‘India’s techade’.
    • Estimates suggest that dozens of tech companies in India will enter the unicorn club (with USD 1 billion valuation) in coming years.

    Digital India

    • Launched on July 1, 2015.
    • It is a Rs 1,13,000-crore flagship programme of the Government of India.
    • Vision: To transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
    • Vision Areas:
      • Digital Infrastructure as a Core Utility to Every Citizen
      • Governance & Services on Demand 
      • Digital Empowerment of Citizens

    Pillars of Digital India

    Image Courtesy: DigitalIndia

    Significance of Digital India

    • Digital India builds on the concept of minimum government, maximum governance and has led to 
      • opportunities for all, 
      • facility for all, and 
      • participation of all.
    • Empowering citizen: Digital India is empowering the common citizen. It has enabled people’s access to the government system, made services and processes transparent, non-discriminatory, and attacked corruption.
    • Supports Various Schemes: It has benefitted various schemes, launched after Digital India, including Diksha, eNAM, eSanjeevani solution for telemedicine, DigiBunai and PM SVANidhi scheme.
    • Services to citizens made easy: Getting Driving licence, birth certificate, paying electricity bill, paying water bill, filing income tax return, have become very easy, very fast with the help of Digital India. All this is happening in villages, in Common Service Centres (CSCs) near people’s homes.
    • Internet in Remote areas: 2.5 lakh CSCs had helped take the Internet to remote areas. Under Bharat Net scheme, work is underway on a mission mode to bring broadband internet to the villages.
    • Digilocker: It has helped millions of people especially during the pandemic by providing a digital storage facility for school certificates, medical documents and other important certificates.
    • PM Kisan Samman Nidhi: Rs 1.35 lakh crore have been deposited directly into the bank account of more than 10 crore farmer families, and that Digital India has realised the spirit of One Nation, One MSP.
    • One Nation One Ration Card: The Supreme Court asked all the states to implement the initiative. This initiative is benefitting people who travel to other states for work.
    • PM WANI: Access points are being created so that rural youth can connect with high-speed internet for better services and education. Also, 5G technology will bring significant changes in the world, and India is preparing itself to make the most of this opportunity.
    • AtmaNirbhar Bharat: Digital India programme underscores the nation”s resolve for self-reliance (Atma Nirbhar Bharat)
    • Transferring Money to Bank Accounts directly: In the last 6-7 years, leveraging Digital India, around Rs 17 lakh crore has been transferred in the bank accounts of beneficiaries under various schemes.

    Pandemic and Digital India

    • Critical role was played by technology during the pandemic to ensure continuity of education, access to healthcare, and other citizen services.
    • Affordable tablets and digital devices are being offered to students across the nation.
    • production-linked subsidies are being given to electronic companies to realise this goal.
    • Digital solutions created by India during Covid pandemic are being acknowledged globally 
    • Contact tracing app, Aarogya Setu, has played a key role in containing the spread of Covid in the country.
    • Many nations have shown interest in the CoWIN app, and tools like these are proof of India”s technical prowess.

    Conclusion

    • Digital India has played a crucial role in citizen services.
    • The movement will be taken forward by leveraging futuristic technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and blockchain.
    • In India, on one side there’s a zeal for innovation and on the other, there’s a passion to adopt those innovations quickly.
    • Thus, the data and demographic dividend collectively offers huge potential.

    Sources: IE

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