Dear Readers,

Current affairs forms an important component of several competitive exams such as the UPSC Civil Services Examination, SSC CGL, Bank PO & PSU entrance tests, etc. Therefore, understanding terms/concepts that are in the news is critical for aspirants.

New initiatives and socio- economic policies or what are known as flagship programmes announced by the Union Government are often asked in competitive examinations. Therefore, to help you deepen your understanding of the same, we at PaGaLGuY bring you information on such initiatives announced by the Government of India.

In today’s article, we will look at some of the highlights of the Government’s Digital India initiative.

What is Digital India?

The programme has been envisaged by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology and many other departments, with a vision to transform the country into a digitally-driven knowledge society and economy. The aim is to make technology central to change and ensure that digital India results in public accountability through mandated delivery of government’s services electronically.

Nine Pillars of Digital India

1. Broadband Highways – Broadband connection across rural and urban areas to build the national information infrastructure.
2. Universal access to mobile connectivity – Increased network penetration across the country and coverage of gaps.
3. Public Internet Access Programme – Improve reach of government services to all the gram panchayats.
4. E-Governance reforms through technology – Form simplification, online applications and tracking, interface between departments, use of online repositories eg. School certificates and voter ID cards; all databases and information to be electronic, not manual.
5. E-Kranti electronic delivery of services – Providing free Wi-Fi in schools, starting digital literacy programmes, online medical consultation, maintaining medical records online, mobile technology for farmers to enable real time price information, online ordering of inputs, among other things.
6. Information for all – Citizens to have easy access to information and an open data platform. This will ensure engagement of the government with the civil society through social media and web-based platforms.

     7.  Electronics manufacturing – It also aims at net-zero electronic                 imports target by 2020, which may require coordination on                   fronts of taxation, incentives along with elimination of cost                    disadvantages. The plan also aims to create 5  new electronic              manufacturing clusters in the next five years, with the                              government footing Rs.500 crore.

     8.  IT for jobs – Train people in small towns and villages for IT sector           jobs, set up BPO’s/IT/ITES in north eastern states, etc.

     9.  Early harvest programmes – Target mass messaging, bio-metric           attendance, Wi-Fi in all universities and in cities with a population         of 1 million or more, school textbooks to e-books etc.

Vision of Digital India focusses on 3 key areas

A. Infrastructure as a utility to every citizen

1. High-speed internet as a core utility will be made available in all gram panchayats.
2. Every person to have a

   unique, lifelong, online and authentic

   digital identity from cradle-to-grave.

3. Mobile phone and bank account enabling participation in digital and financial space.
4. Easy access to a Common Service Centre within a locality.
5. Shareable private space on a public cloud.
6. Safe and secure cyber-space in the country.

B. Governance and services on demand

1. Government services available in real time from online & mobile platforms. All citizens’ entitlements to be available on cloud, to ensure easy access.
2. Government services digitally transformed to ease business.
3. Making financial transactions above the threshold electronic and cashless.
4. Leveraging Global transaction Systems (GIS) for decision support system and development.

C. Digital Empowerment of citizens

     1. Universal digital literacy.

     2. Universal access to digital resources.

     3. All government documents/certificates to be available on cloud.

    4. Availability of digital resources / services in Indian languages.

    5. Collaborative digital platforms for participative governance.

    6. Portability of all entitlements for individuals through cloud.

Conclusion
The Digital India initiative has been designed to pull together a number of other existing schemes and programmes that would be restructured and implemented in a synchronised manner. Each individual project while being a part of the larger Digital India programme in totality, will stand out with their own unique features.

To learn about other GoI intiatives click here:

(a) AMRUT and Smart cities –

https://testing.pagalguy.com/articles/amrut-and-smart-cities-missions-important-initiatives-by-the-345423…

(b) Swacch Bharat Mission –

https://testing.pagalguy.com/articles/swachh-bharat-mission-new-initiatives-by-the-government-34578549

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