The Indian government launched Digital India under the auspices of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in order to transform India into a digitally empowered country. This campaign is open to the entire country. The campaign has shown foresight by improving online infrastructure and internet connectivity. India is on the verge of becoming a digital technology leader. Cloud computing and mobile applications appear to be the most important sources of economic growth as well as reshaping social systems.
From a normal store owner to a government officer, today, everybody is using digital technology. It helps us to connect with everyone and share information or issues quite easily. So, here we will talk about the Digital India Programme and its impact.
MAJOR PROJECTS OF DIGITAL INDIA PROGRAMME
Although the Digital India Programme has a large number of projects that it is focusing on implementing in India, we will highlight a few major projects here.
• Digital locker system for reducing the use of physical documents and allowing e-document sharing across agencies.
• Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) was the most well-known initiative, and no one was unaware of it. The mission’s goal is to make India a neat and clean country.
• They have started an e-Sign facility for Aadhar authentication.
• The e-Hospital application has also been launched for the Online Registration System (ORS). From online registration to blood availability, everything is available online.
• The government has launched ‘broadband highways’ to deliver services to citizens and provide enabling technologies.
• BharatNet is another initiative for a high-speed digital highway that will connect the country’s 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats. This would be the world’s largest optical fibre rural broadband connectivity project.
• To replace 30 year old exchanges, BSNL has introduced Next Generation Network (NGN), an IP-based technology that manages all types of services such as voice, data, multimedia/video, and other types of packet switched communication services.
Key Achievements
According to a few government leaders and industry insiders, the following initiatives have been successful in recent years:
1. There are 55 lakh post offices that are digitally connected and approximately 1 crore digital transactions occur each day.
2. Pensioners no longer need to visit a bank branch every year; they can now register for Jeevan Pramaan digitally from anywhere in the world.
3. Who hasn’t heard of BHIM UPI? You can make digital payments from anywhere using this service. As a result, we can now make cashless payments.
4. 65 lakh Common Service Centers (CSC) are operational, with CSCs present in 2.39 lakh gramme panchayats.
5. BharatNet: Almost 1.19 lakh Gram Panchayats have been linked via Optical Fibre to provide high-speed internet connectivity. The project’s goal is to connect all 2.5 lakh
Gram Panchayats in India to optical fibre.
6. e-Hospital services have now simplified your doctor’s visit. Online appointments are available in 322 major hospitals. There are also many basic facilities available.
7. ServicePlus: A metadata based single unified eService delivery framework with completely configurable service definition, allowing the government to quickly roll out any service and make it available in an efficient and transparent manner.
Economic Impact
India’s growth strategy is being bolstered by a focus on digitalization, connectivity, a cashless/paperless economy, and a start-up innovation ecosystem. Focusing on digitalization can help our country grow tremendously.
According to a report by economic analysts, the Digital India initiative could boost our GDP by around $1 trillion by 2025. It can also be detrimental to play an important role in macroeconomic factors such as job creation, labour productivity, business development, and revenue generation.
With nearly 259 million broadband users, India is currently the world’s second largest telecom and third largest Internet market. According to the World Bank report, there is a tremendous economic opportunity in India because the tele0density in rural India is only 45% while more than 65% of the population lives in villages. According to the report, a 10% increase in mobile and broadband penetration raises per capita GDP by 0.81% to 1.38% in developing countries.
Social Impact
The Digital India programme has had an incredible impact on social issues. Before there were numerous formalities and paper work available, whether we are talking about education, healthcare, or banking facilities. However, thanks to modern ICT, every task has become easier. The availability of m-Education services has played an important role in reaching people in remote areas. According to research, digital literacy in India is only 6.5%, with internet penetration at 20.83 out of 100 people. Through smart and virtual classrooms, the Digital India project will help to provide real-time education while also addressing the issue of teacher shortages in the education system. Mobile devices can be used to provide education to farmers and fishermen.
Environmental Impact
The environment has a significant impact on our lives. We cut a lot of trees because of our heavy use of paper, and it is affecting our lives in some way. Digitalization will assist us in lowering our carbon footprint by reducing fuel consumption, waste management, and creating greener workplaces, resulting in a greener ecosystem. Every task will become more adaptable, and you will be able to complete them without harming the environment. The ICT sector contributes to the efficient management and utilisation of scarce and non-renewable resources. Cloud computing reduces carbon emissions by increasing mobility and flexibility.
Challenges for Digital India
Although Digital India is a positive initiative that will benefit every Indian in a significant way, there are some flaws. Still, we must deal with such circumstances in order to make the Digital India campaign a success.
There are a few challenges:
• Many people are unable to comprehend digital devices and technology. The majority of people are unable to use a basic mobile phone.
• Although the government has started this programme, it still lacks the basic infrastructure needed to move forward digitally.
• Few people can afford all of these amenities due to the increased cost of electronics and internet.
• Cybercrime is the most pressing issue today; we do not feel secure about our data and personal information. The government should work on it, and engineers should be
properly trained.
