Digital India: The Government of India launched the Digital India campaign to ensure that the services of the Government are made available electronically to all citizens. This objective is achieved by strengthening online infrastructure and improving internet connectivity or to make India digitally empowered in the field of technology.

It was launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi on July 1, 2015, #DigitalIndia took the shape of a revolution over the years and has today turned into a mass movement, touching the lives of the majority of the Indians. Digital India turning 6 (six) on July 1, 2021.

The Digitize India scheme includes plans to connect rural areas with high-speed internet networks and improve digital literacy. The vision of the campaign is inclusive growth in all sectors.

Objectives of Digital India

  • The development of a stable and secure digital infrastructure.
  • Delivering government services digitally.
  • Universal Digital Literacy.

Infrastructure

Under this initiative, the Government provides multiple programs that facilitate a reliable digital infrastructure. The following are some of the programs under this:

  • AADHAR: One of the key strengths of ‘Digital India’, wherein every resident of the country is given a unique identity number.
  • Bharat Broadband Network (BBNL): This is the custodian of Digital India. The creation of the National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN) has been mandated in India.
  • Centre for Excellence for Internet of Things (CoE-IT): The main objective of the center is for creating domain capability and innovative applications. 
  • CERT-IN: This is formed with the intention to secure Indian cyberspace.
  • Common Services Centres (CSCS): CSCs are the access points for the delivery of essential public utility services, healthcare, social welfare schemes, financial, education, and agriculture services.
  • Cyber Swachhta Kendra: The purpose of this is to generate secure cyber space by detecting botnet infections in India and to notify, enable cleaning, and secure systems of end-users so as to prevent further infections.
  • Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana: This is one of the flagship programs of the Power Ministry (MoP) and is designed to provide a continuous power supply to entire rural India.
  • DigiLocker: A digital wallet to empower citizens digitally.
  • Digital Saksharta Abhiyaan (DISHA): This aims to provide IT training to 52.5. lakh persons.
  • Digitize India Platform: This platform provides digitization of scanned document images or physical documents.

Some key achievements of the Digital India Initiative?

Here are some key achievements of the Digital India Initiative, according to BJP leaders and other industry insiders:

  1. eHospital services have made it easy to take online appointments in 322 major hospitals. The eHospital application provides online registration, payment of fees and appointments, online diagnostic reports, enquiring availability of blood online, and so on.
  2. 55 lakh post offices have been digitally connected and approximately 1 crore digital transactions take place in a day.
  3. ServicePlus: A metadata¬based single unified eService delivery framework with a completely configurable service definition, facilitating the rapid rollout of any service by Government making them available in an efficient and transparent manner.
  4. BharatNet: Over 1.19 Lakh Gram Panchayats have been connected through Optical Fibre to provide seamless high-speed internet connectivity. The project aims to connect all 2.5 Lakh Gram Panchayats across India with Optical Fibre.
  5. 65 Lakh Common Service Centers (CSC) are functional and 2.39 lakh gram panchayats have the presence of CSC.
  6. Pensioners do not need to visit the bank branch which disburses their pension every year. They can produce Jeevan Pramaan digitally from any part of the world.
  7. BHIM UPI: A fintech innovation of India that has transformed the digital payment ecosystem. It has made it possible to make payments using a simple and easy-to-use mobile app.

Here are some more achievements of the initiative as tweeted by Ravi Shankar Prasad.