Digital India bridged divide, democratised opportunity: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Tuesday that the Digital India initiative, launched a decade ago bridged the digital divide between haves and have-nots, and democratised opportunity, stressing that it has become a people's movement.

In a post on LinkedIn, he said while decades were spent doubting the ability of Indians to use technology, his government changed this approach and trusted the ability of citizens to use technology.

Modi asserted that his government used technology to eliminate the gap between the haves and the have-nots.

"When the intent is right, innovation empowers the less empowered. When the approach is inclusive, technology brings change in the lives of those on the margins.This belief laid the foundation for Digital India: a mission to democratise access, build inclusive digital infrastructure, and opportunities for all," he said.

In 2014, Modi said, India had around 25 crore internet connections. Today, that number has grown to over 97 crore, with over 42 lakh km of optical fibre cable equivalent to 11 times the distance between the earth and the moon now connecting even the most remote villages, he added.

He said India's 5G rollout is among the fastest in the world, with 4.81 lakh base stations installed in just two years.

High-speed internet now reaches urban hubs and forward military posts alike, including Galwan, Siachen, and Ladakh, he noted.

He recalled that internet penetration was limited, digital literacy was low, and online access to government services was scarce in 2014, the year his government came to power.

He said many doubted whether a country as vast and diverse as India could truly go digital.

"Today, that question has been answered not just in data and dashboards, but in the lives of 140 crore Indians. From how we govern, to how we learn, transact, and build, Digital India is everywhere," he said.

Ten years ago, India embarked on a bold journey into uncharted territory with great conviction, he said.

A decade later, the journey has touched countless lives and ushered in a new era of empowerment, he said, adding India has made many strides in digital payments, powered by the collective resolve of 140 crore Indians.

India Stack, which is the digital backbone, has enabled platforms like UPI, which now handles 100 plus billion transactions a year, he said, adding that around half of all real time digital transactions happen in India.

Through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), over Rs 44 lakh crore has been transferred directly to citizens, cutting out middlemen and saving Rs 3.48 lakh crore in leakages, he said, adding that schemes like SVAMITVA have issued over 2.4 crore property cards and mapped 6.47 lakh villages, ending years of uncertainty.

The prime minister said India's digital economy is empowering MSMEs and small entrepreneurs like never before.

He asserted that ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) is a revolutionary platform which opens a new window of opportunities by providing a seamless connection with huge market of buyers and sellers.

He added that the GeM (Government E-Marketplace) enables the common man to sell goods and services to all arms of the government. This not only empowers the common man with a huge market but also saves money for the government.

"Imagine this: You apply for a Mudra loan online. Your creditworthiness is assessed through an account aggregator framework. You get your loan and start your venture. You register on GeM, supply to schools and hospitals, and then scale up via ONDC," he said.

ONDC recently crossed 200 million transactions, with the last 100 million in just six months, he notes.

He said from Banarasi weavers to bamboo artisans in Nagaland, sellers are now reaching customers nationwide without middlemen or digital monopolies.

The GeM has also crossed Rs 1 lakh crore Gross Merchandise Value GMV in 50 days, with 22 lakh sellers, including over 1.8 lakh women-led MSMEs, who have fulfilled orders worth Rs 46,000 crore, he said.

Modi said India's digital public infrastructure is its global offering.

From Aadhaar, CoWIN, DigiLocker, and FASTag to PM-WANI and One Nation One Subscription is now studied and adopted globally, he said.

Through its G20 Presidency, India launched the Global DPI Repository and a USD 25 million social impact fund, helping nations across Africa and South Asia adopt inclusive digital ecosystems, he said.

Modi said India now ranks among the top three start up ecosystems in the world, with over 1.8 lakh start ups. But this is more than a start up movement, it is a tech renaissance, he added.

India is doing extremely well when it comes to AI skill penetration and AI talent concentration among our youth, he said in the post.

Through the USD 1.2 billion India AI Mission, India has enabled access to 34,000 Graphics Processing Units at globally unmatched prices at less than Rs 1/GPU hour, making India not just the most affordable internet economy, but also the most affordable compute destination, he said.

Modi said, "India has championed humanity-first AI. The New Delhi Declaration on AI promotes innovation with responsibility. We are establishing AI Centres of Excellence across the country." The prime minister said the next decade will be even more transformative, as India is moving from digital governance to global digital leadership, from India-first to India-for-the-world.

He said digital India has not remained a mere government programme but has become a people's movement.

It is central to building an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, and to making India a trusted innovation partner to the world, he said.

"To all innovators, entrepreneurs, and dreamers: the world is looking at India for the next digital breakthrough. Let us build what empowers. Let us solve what truly matters. Let us lead with technology that unites, includes, and uplifts," said PM Modi.