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Authors

Dikshu C. Kukreja
Dikshu C. Kukreja
Mr. V. Raman Kumar
Mr. V. Raman Kumar
Ms. Chandra Ganjoo
Ms. Chandra Ganjoo
Sanjay Bhatia
Sanjay Bhatia
Aprameya Radhakrishna
Aprameya Radhakrishna
Colin Shah
Colin Shah
Shri P.R. Aqeel Ahmed
Shri P.R. Aqeel Ahmed
Dr. Vidya Yeravdekar
Dr. Vidya Yeravdekar
Alok Kirloskar
Alok Kirloskar
Pragati Khare
Pragati Khare
Devang Mody
Devang Mody
Vinay Kalantri
Vinay Kalantri

How the Digital India Programme is Revolutionizing Governance

How the Digital India Programme is Revolutionizing Governance

India is a fast growing, emerging country. Various industries and areas in India are in the midst of a digital evolution. One such area is governance. To lessen the gap that is evident between the government and the citizens, the Government of India (GOI) initiated the 'Digital India' program under the leadership of Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi. The programme is designed to empower the society digitally. This initiative is not just a technological upgrade; it’s a framework designed to modernise how government services are delivered while ensuring every citizen can access the benefits of digital infrastructure. By eliminating the old way of functioning through physical paperwork, Digital India enhances the transparency and accessibility of government services digitally. 

What is Digital India? 

Digital India is a campaign initiated by the Government of India in 2015 aimed at providing services to citizens electronically through enhanced online infrastructure and improved internet connectivity. The initiative encompasses plans to link rural areas with high-speed internet networks. Digital India comprises of three important sections: 1) Enhancement of secure and stable digital infrastructure, 2) Delivering government services digitally, and 3) Universal digital literacy. 

Digital India uses, supports, and provides vital digital infrastructure to various government programmes, viz BharatNet, Standup India, Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat. The Digital India campaign also supports industries where digitalisation is the core aspect, such as Information Technology (IT) and Business Process Management (BPO), digital communication services and electronics manufacturing. With the help of this programme, these sectors will likely double their contribution to the GDP to US$ 355-435 billion by 2025.  

Pillars of Digital India 

The Digital India campaign has nine pillars which will transform India into a digitally, informationally advanced country: 

  • Broadband Highways 

    • Broadband for All – Rural: Connect 250,000 village panchayats 

    • Broadband for All – Urban: Use virtual network operators 

    • National Information Infrastructure: Integrate networks 

  • Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity 

    • Cover 42,300 uncovered villages with mobile connectivity 

  • Public Internet Access Programme 

    • Expand Common Service Centres (CSCs) to 250,000 

    • Convert 150,000 post offices to multi-service centres 

  • e-Governance 

    • Simplify and make government processes efficient through IT 

    • Promote online applications, tracking and interdepartmental interfaces 

  • e-Kranti 

    • Deliver services electronically across education, health, agriculture, security, financial inclusion, justice, planning and cybersecurity 

  • Information for All 

    • Ensure unrestricted access to government data and documents 

    • Engage citizens via social media and online platforms 

  • Electronics Manufacturing 

    • Achieve net zero imports through incentives, economies of scale, emphasis on special electronic products and talent development 

  • IT for Jobs 

    • Train 1 crore students for IT sector jobs 

    • Set up BPOs in the northeastern states 

    • Train service delivery agents and rural workforce 

  • Early Harvest Programmes 

    • Execute short-term projects with significant impact, such as mass messaging, e-greetings, biometric attendance, Wi-Fi access in universities, secure email services, public Wi-Fi hotspots and eBooks for schools.

Evolution of Governance Services 

During the 1990s, e-governance projects in India gained momentum and focused on large applications which offered citizen-centric services. Among the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) initiatives were those aimed at developing major systems, railway automation, land record computerisation, and related information systems. Subsequently, many states launched their electronic government initiatives to grant citizens access to digital public services. However, despite focusing on citizen needs, these projects encountered difficulties in realising their intended impact due to limited functionality. The isolated and minimally interactive systems revealed issues, thus delaying the successful adoption of e-governance. These concerns highlighted an urgent need for thorough planning and implementation to address infrastructure needs and interoperability challenges. 

A national-level initiative called the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) was launched in 2006. This initiative consisted of 31 mission mode projects spanning domains such as health, agriculture, land records, police, education, passports, courts, commercial taxes, municipalities and treasuries. Among these, 24 projects were executed and commenced providing either completely or partly planned services. 

The e-Kranti program was authorised by the GOI as government services integration was a lagging factor in NeGP. This programme envisions ‘Transforming e-Governance for Transforming Governance.’ This program focuses on re-engineering and using emerging technologies like mobile and cloud. 

Below are the principles of e-Kranti which every new and ongoing e-governance projects need to follow: 

  • Transformation, not translation 

  • In every mission mode project, compulsory Government Process Reengineering (GPR) 

  • Integrated services, not individual services 

  • ICT infrastructure on demand 

  • Cloud by default 

  • Mobile first 

  • Fast-tracking approvals 

  • Mandating standards and protocols 

  • Language localisation 

  • National geo-spatial information system (GIS) 

  • Security and electronic data preservation 

As part of the 2020-21 Union Budget, the Digital India scheme was extended for five more years and allocated US$ 1.8 billion (Rs. 14,903 crore) over 2021-22 to 2025-26. In the recent 2024-25 budget, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) that manages the Digital India programme was allocated a budget of US$ 2.63 billion (Rs. 21,936 crore) compared to US$ 1.98 billion (Rs. 16,549 crore) the previous year. 

E-governance initiatives 

The introduction of e-governance initiatives has reshaped Indian public services. These initiatives focused on simplifying the communication between the government and its citizens which enhanced transparency and efficiency. As of 2022, 4,671 e-services function across 709 districts. 

Apart from public services, the government focused on e-governance in agriculture. Below are government services that benefit India’s farmers: 

  • National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)
    • e-NAM is an online trading platform for agricultural commodities in India. The market facilitates farmers, traders and buyers with online trading in commodities. Over 90 commodities including staple food grains, vegetables and fruits are currently listed available for trade.
  • mKISAN
    • Using the mKisan portal, all the registered farmers are informed about crops, crop insects, diseases, and weather-based agro-advisories via SMS. As of August 2024, 5.3 crore farmers have registered with on the portal and 77 million SMS have been sent.
  • Soil Health Card
    • Launched in 2015, this scheme provides farmers with soil cards which carry crop-wise recommendations of the nutrients and fertilisers required to improve productivity. As of August 2024, more than 6 million soil cards have been alloted.
  • Mobile-based Advisory System for Agriculture and Horticulture (M4AGRI)
    • The Digital India corporation implemented this project mainly in the northeastern states such as Mizoram and Tripura, focusing on livestock and fish farmers. As of August 2024, 40,713 farmers have availed of this scheme.

Other initiatives include: 

  • Common Services Centres (CSCs) 

  • Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG) 

  • e-District Mission Mode Project (MMP) 

  • DigiLocker 

  • Unified Payment Interface (UPI) 

  • MeriPehchaan 

  • MyGov 

Summing up 

Driven by AI, blockchain and 5G, digital India is on the path to transformative growth. These technologies will enhance service delivery and transparency. Initiatives such as BharatNet and Digital India 2.0 are set up to bridge the gap between infrastructure and connectivity. As these initiatives pick up pace, governance will become inclusive and accessible to all. Although India faces prolonged challenges, the focus on digital transformation opens up numerous opportunities, ensuring that governance is efficient, citizen-centric and will pave the way for a digitalised economy. 

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