<p>The Digital India Mission, which completed 10 years this month, has changed the way business is conducted and life is lived for millions of Indians. It was launched to improve governance and help technology reduce the distance between governments and the people. </p><p>It is still a work in progress, but it is not an exaggeration to say that the digital initiative has made a greater impact, in a significantly shorter period, than most other policy-backed programmes. Internet penetration has risen from 250 million in 2014 to over 970 million two years ago. All forms of digital payments have seen explosive growth. </p><p>Over 8,375 crore UPI transactions worth Rs 139 lakh crore were processed in 2022-23, having risen from 92 lakh crore transactions in 2017-18 – the figure must be much higher now. The UPI has enabled over a hundred billion real-time transactions in a year.</p>.<p>It benefitted in many ways when financial transactions, including direct benefit transfer (DBT), became easier and faster. DBT has helped facilitate the transfer of Rs 44 lakh crore directly to citizens, saving Rs 3.48 lakh crore in leakages in the process. The government became more effective, losses and slippages came down, and the reach of the financial system expanded. </p><p>Apart from finance, the digital shift effected major changes in transport and communications, health, education, industry, agriculture, and entertainment – all sectors found new ways of doing things. Over 42 lakh km of optical cables have been laid, and over 4.8 lakh 5G base stations have been set up. High-speed internet is available in many inaccessible areas. E-governance and digital literacy have helped the country achieve greater levels of transparency and efficiency.</p>.<p>But the country needs to go much farther on the digital road, and there are more challenges to overcome. There is a big rural-urban divide in access to digital services and the quality of services. </p><p>According to the National Sample Survey, 66% urban households have access to quality internet, but only 24% rural households have this access. While 50% of women living in rural areas do not have a mobile phone, only about 57% of the schools have functional computers, and only 53% have internet access. </p><p>The BharatNet broadband connectivity target for villages is far behind schedule. Cyber crimes and fraud are increasing, causing the loss of huge amounts of money. There are also serious concerns over digital personal data and privacy in the absence of an effective protection regime.</p>
<p>The Digital India Mission, which completed 10 years this month, has changed the way business is conducted and life is lived for millions of Indians. It was launched to improve governance and help technology reduce the distance between governments and the people. </p><p>It is still a work in progress, but it is not an exaggeration to say that the digital initiative has made a greater impact, in a significantly shorter period, than most other policy-backed programmes. Internet penetration has risen from 250 million in 2014 to over 970 million two years ago. All forms of digital payments have seen explosive growth. </p><p>Over 8,375 crore UPI transactions worth Rs 139 lakh crore were processed in 2022-23, having risen from 92 lakh crore transactions in 2017-18 – the figure must be much higher now. The UPI has enabled over a hundred billion real-time transactions in a year.</p>.<p>It benefitted in many ways when financial transactions, including direct benefit transfer (DBT), became easier and faster. DBT has helped facilitate the transfer of Rs 44 lakh crore directly to citizens, saving Rs 3.48 lakh crore in leakages in the process. The government became more effective, losses and slippages came down, and the reach of the financial system expanded. </p><p>Apart from finance, the digital shift effected major changes in transport and communications, health, education, industry, agriculture, and entertainment – all sectors found new ways of doing things. Over 42 lakh km of optical cables have been laid, and over 4.8 lakh 5G base stations have been set up. High-speed internet is available in many inaccessible areas. E-governance and digital literacy have helped the country achieve greater levels of transparency and efficiency.</p>.<p>But the country needs to go much farther on the digital road, and there are more challenges to overcome. There is a big rural-urban divide in access to digital services and the quality of services. </p><p>According to the National Sample Survey, 66% urban households have access to quality internet, but only 24% rural households have this access. While 50% of women living in rural areas do not have a mobile phone, only about 57% of the schools have functional computers, and only 53% have internet access. </p><p>The BharatNet broadband connectivity target for villages is far behind schedule. Cyber crimes and fraud are increasing, causing the loss of huge amounts of money. There are also serious concerns over digital personal data and privacy in the absence of an effective protection regime.</p>
