Di-Initiatives and Digital India Programme

The Government of India’s flagship programme, Digital India (DI), aims to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. It is a programme aimed at preparing India for a knowledge-based future. DI is an umbrella programme that encompasses multiple Government Ministries and Departments, with the Department of Electronics and Information Technology serving as the overall coordinator (DeitY). 

It weaves a large number of ideas into a single, comprehensive vision, allowing each to be implemented as part of a larger goal. Each component stands alone, but is also part of a larger picture. DI intends to give a much-needed boost to the nine growth pillars, which are Broadband Highways, Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity, Public Internet Access Programme, e-Governance: Reforming Government through Technology, e-Kranti – The Electronic Delivery of Services, Information for All, the Electronics Manufacturing, IT for Jobs and Early Harvest Programmes. 

Each of these areas is a complex programme in and of itself, involving multiple Ministries and Departments.

What is Digital India?

Digital India is a government initiative to prepare India for a knowledge-based future. Hon’ble Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, has placed emphasis on the National E-Governance Plan and has approved Digital India – a programme to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.

Digital India is a government-funded initiative with a budget of Rs 1,13,000 crores. This will be for preparing India for knowledge-based transformation and providing good governance to citizens through coordinated and synchronised engagement with both the Central Government and the State Government.

This program was conceived by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) and will have an impact on the ministries of communications and information technology, rural development, human resource development, health, and others. All states and union territories will benefit from this program as well. Existing/ongoing e-Governance initiatives would be revamped to align with Digital India principles. 

The Digital India envisions transforming the country into a digitally empowered society and the knowledge economy. It would ensure that citizens can access government services electronically. It would also increase public accountability by mandating the electronic delivery of government services.

AEPS is a bank led model

AePS is a bank-led model that enables online interoperable financial inclusion transactions at PoS (Micro ATMs) via any bank’s Business correspondent using Aadhaar authentication. To enable a bank customer to use Aadhaar as his or her identity to access his or her respective Aadhaar-enabled bank account and perform basic banking transactions such as cash deposit and withdrawal via a Business Correspondent. In this scenario, the only inputs required for a customer to complete a transaction are:

1. Name of the bank
2. Aadhaar Card
3. Enrollment fingerprint capture

BPO SCHEME

The India BPO Promotion Scheme (IBPS) has been approved under the Digital India Programme to incentivize BPO/ITES operations across the country [excluding certain cities and states in the NorthEast Region (NER)] in order to create job opportunities for youths and to grow the IT-ITES industry. The IBPS Scheme aims to incentivize the establishment of 48,300 seats, with financial support of up to Rs. 1 lakh per seat in the form of Viability Gap Funding (VGF), with an outlay of Rs. 493 crore up to 31.03.2019.

DIGIDHAN ABHIYAAN

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology launched a new campaign called DigiDhan Abhiyan to promote cashless transactions. DigiDhan Abhiyaan was launched to help every citizen, merchant, and smart trader use digital payments in their daily financial transactions. 

The ministry also launched a free air channel called Digi Shala as part of the Digi Dhan Abhiyaan, which will educate people in rural and semi-urban areas about the digital payment ecosystem. Digi Shala will be broadcast on DD and free DTH services across the country. The estimated viewership of the channel across the country is more than 2 crores. 

Digi Shala will teach people how to make digital payments using USSD, UPI, Aadhaar-enabled payment systems, cards, e-wallets, and other methods. The channel will also air talk shows and expert panel discussions. In order to raise awareness about digital transactions, the ministry has also launched a new website called cashlessindia.gov.in. 

The website or portal will serve as a repository for information on various digital payment initiatives. The journey from Pathshala to Digi Shala represents India’s transformation. Digital payments are described as honest, transparent, and accountable, which broadens the tax base, which is currently very limited. In addition, the government will involve 1,75,000 Common Service Centres (CSCs) to promote, spread awareness, and educate people about cashless transactions.

Conclusion

The Government of India’s flagship programme, Digital India , aims to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. DI intends to give a much-needed boost to the nine growth pillars, which are Broadband Highways, Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity, Public Internet Access Programme, e-Governance: Reforming Government through Technology, e-Kranti – The Electronic Delivery of Services, Information for All, the Electronics Manufacturing, IT for Jobs and Early Harvest Programmes. Digital India is a government initiative to prepare India for a knowledge-based future. Hon’ble Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, has placed emphasis on the National E-Governance Plan and has approved Digital India, a programme to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. This will be for preparing India for knowledge-based transformation and providing good governance to citizens through coordinated and synchronised engagement with both the Central Government and the State Government.