9 years of the Digital India initiative

Context

Recently Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded the successful completion of 9 years of the Digital India initiative. 

About 

• It was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on July 01, 2015 with an intention to transform India into a knowledge-based economy and a digitally empowered society by ensuring digital services, digital access, digital inclusion, digital empowerment and bridging the digital divide. 
• It is coordinated through MeitY with the Ministries and Departments within the Central and State Governments partnering it in their respective domain areas. 
• Digital India symbolises an empowered India which enhances Ease of Living and transparency. 

Achievements 

• Financial Inclusion : Due to the Digital India marketing campaign, over 11 Crore farmers now get hold of cash directly from their bank money owed.
  • The Government of India, in collaboration with the EKstep Foundation, launched an AI chatbot with PM-Kisan to extend financial help to farmers .
• Ayushman Bharat: leverages digital platforms to offer medical insurance coverage to susceptible sections of society.
  •  Over 34.6 crore Ayushman Cards have been created 
  •  Over 674 crore documents issued by DigiLocker.
• Over 137 Crore Aadhaar numbers were generated, a completely unique ID for each Indian which is empowering thousands and thousands with digital identity.
• BharatNet has laid 6.83 lakh kilometres of optical fibre community, enough to circle the Earth over 17 instances.
• Over 9 crore FASTags issued it’s nearly equal to the wide variety of motors manufactured globally in 2023.
• Pradhan Mantri Grameen Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDisha), the sector’s largest digital literacy software, equips rural communities with vital digital competencies like advertising and marketing, e-trade, finance, and cybersecurity, allowing them to take part absolutely in the digital economic system
• The Government has provided e-Marketplace (GeM), a committed platform for different goods & offerings procured by government organisation/departments/PSUs, providing 11,900 product categories and 321 service categories.
• BHIM is a UPI- based payment app that simplifies digital transactions.
  • It has empowered million of users to send and get hold of cash seamlessly.
  •  There has been more than 535 lakh crore rupees of UPI transactions.
• Swamitva Scheme: Using drones and technology, the Swamitva Scheme targets to offer land titles to rural landowners. 
• The Jan Dhan Yojana has facilitated the gap of bank accounts for millions of unbanked people.
  • The software also encourages digital bills, lowering the reliance on cash transactions.

Challenges 

• While Digital India has made great strides, demanding situations consisting of digital literacy, internet penetration in far off regions, and cybersecurity remain.
• Disparities in digital access persist and bridging the urban-rural divide and attaining marginalized communities remains a mission.
• Financial Resource Issues 
• Coordination Issues because Program covers many different departments
• Balancing convenience with privacy protection is critical. 

Conclusion and Way Forward 

• The Digital India program has grown to be a transformative force, altering the pace of India’s growth story even as transforming the country right into a digitally empowered society and a knowledge-based financial system. 
• Digital India is paving the manner for a more inclusive, rich, and digitally connected India. 
• As India keeps its digital journey, collaboration, innovation, and citizen participation can be key drivers.

Source: The News on AIR

UPSC Mains Practice Question

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