Digital India Campaign by Govt. of India – How will it Empower India?

Digital India is a tech initiative launched by honorable Prime Minister on July 1, 2015. The aim of this campaign is to spread digital awareness and make available the government services to citizens in a faster and convenient way through electronic mode. This however, requires boosting of country’s digital infrastructure and maximization of internet connectivity. The overall mission of this initiative is to cultivate digital literacy and empower each citizen towards a technologically developed India. Bringing investments in technology sector and connecting rural India with high speed internet are also two reasons behind this campaign.

Digital India Campaign is driven by three core components that include:

Digital Literacy
Developing Digital Infrastructure
Offering Services Digitally

Highlight of Digital India Campaign

Emphasis on e-governance
Spread digital awareness in rural India
Focus to transform India into a digitally strong society
Program cost projection Rs. 1,13,000 crore.
Making government services available to citizens via electronic mode
High speed internet for all.
Transform the ease of doing business in the country
Making broadband services for villages, tele-medicine and mobile healthcare a reality

Vision of Digital India Campaign

1. Infrastructure

The vision of this initiative is to make high speed internet accessible to all the citizens of India including the Gram Panchayats. Setting up bank accounts for individuals including the rural population. Safe and secure cyber space for all will strengthen the pillars of this initiative.

2. e-Governance

The government aims at reaching out to the citizens for various services via electronic mode. This will streamline the process and make it easy for citizens to avail the services. Transactions to be made online.

3. Empowering Citizens Digitally

Firming up the digital knowledge of the citizens of India. To offer universal digital literacy and make digital sources accessible without any hassles. Services offered in various Indian languages to cut across language barriers.

Major Projects under Digital India Campaign

1. Electronics Manufacturing

The focus is to manufacture electronic items within the country and cut their imports to zero. To achieve this, the government is working towards putting up smart energy meters, micro ATMs, mobile and medical electronics.

2. Mobile Connectivity

The government intends to bring mobile connectivity to all the villages by the end of 2018. They plan to boost their network penetration and cover 44,000 villages via this initiative.

3. Public Access of Internet

The aim is to make internet accessible across 2.5 lakh villages. The target to achieve this task has been set to March 2017. At least one village in each panchayat would benefit from these services. Also, 1.5 lakh post offices would be covered making them Multi-Service centers for the citizens.

4. Broadband to Highways

The government plans to lay nation optical fibre network throughout 2.5 lakh gram panchayats. It aims to wind up laying the fiber in rural areas by December 2016, adding to its nationwide information infrastructure by March 2017.

5. IT Training for Jobs

The government intends to train about 1 crore students from villages and small towns to enhance their IT skills and make them job ready for the IT sector by year 2020. Also, setting BPOs in the north east is also considered!

6. e-Kranti

This service is aimed at dispensing electronic services to people in covering segments across finance, security, education, health, justice and farmers.

7. e-Governance

Make various government services available to the citizens by ushering a wave of digital transformation. This includes accessibility of Voter IDs and school certificates amongst others. Improving service processes and deliveries of services with payment gateway, UIDAI, mobile platforms and EDI is also enlisted.

8. Early Harvest Programs

Government aims to set up Wi-fi facilities across universities in the country making email as the primary mode of communication. It also intends to deploy Aadhar Enabled Biometric Attendance System across central government offices marking the attendance online.

9. Global Information

Making information easily available, engaging social media platforms for governance and hosting data online are some key factors. The government has MyGov.in, a website dedicated for two-way communication with its citizens up already!