Indian Government’s Flagship Programme ‘Digital India’ completed 6 years on July 1, 2021. To commemorate this, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology organised a programme in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the beneficiaries.
Digital India (DI)
The programme was launched on July 1, 2015 with a funding of INR 1,13,000 crore.
i.The main objective of DI is to ensure that Government’s services are made available to citizens electronically by improved online infrastructure and making India digitally empowered in the field of technology.
ii.The initiative includes plans to connect rural areas with high-speed internet networks.
iii.The programme is centered on 3 key vision areas – Digital Infrastructure as a Core Utility to Every Citizen, Governance & Services on Demand, and Digital Empowerment of Citizens.
iv.Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) is the primary custodian of the Digital India project.
v.DI programme is the enabler and beneficiary of other Government of India schemes like BharatNet, Make in India, Startup India and Standup India, Industrial Corridors, Bharatmala, Sagarmala.
Key Points from PM’s address
PM Modi stated that Digital India is the instrument for Atma Nirbhar Bharat. Digital Empowerment will take the youth of India to greater heights and will help in making this decade (2021-30) as ‘India’s Techade’.
He highlighted several initiatives under the programme, which were helpful for the public during pandemic
- Digilocker – Using Digilocker, school certificates, medical documents and other important certificates can be stored digitally.
- Common Service Centres (CSCs) have enabled getting driving licenses, birth certificates, filing incomes and others in a fast and convenient way.
- Through the Digital India programme, the dream of One Nation One Ration Card was also realized.
- SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages And Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) scheme – which solved the problem of lack of security of ownership of house property in rural areas
- e-Sanjeevani scheme – which enables independent, browser-based applications facilitating both doctor-to-doctor and patient-to-patient doctor tele-consultations.
i.Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, INR 1.35 lakh crore has been deposited directly into the bank account of more than 10 crore farmer families.
ii.Under PM WANI (Wi-Fi Access Network Interface), access points are being created to ensure that rural youth get access to high-speed internet.
- Affordable tablets and digital devices are being offered to students across India. Production Linked Subsidies are being offered to electronic companies to realise the goal.
- In the last 6-7 years due to Digital India, around Rs. 17 lakh crore has been transferred in the bank accounts of beneficiaries under various schemes.
- Other notable apps & portals developed under Digital India programme are DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing), eNAM, DigiBunai & Arogya Setu App.
Recent Related News:
On December 30, 2020 President of India, Ram Nath Kovind conferred 6th Digital India Awards (DIA) 2020 through video conferencing in a virtual awards ceremony.
About Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY)
Union Minister – Ravi Shankar Prasad (Patna Sahib, Bihar)
Minister of State – Sanjay Dhotre (Akola, Maharashtra)
