India's Digital Revolution

Nikimoni Kachari, GU

India, one of the world's fastest-growing economies and the highest percentage of young people, has been leveraging technological advancements in various fields such as education, media, manufacturing, and automotive. The Digital India Programme, launched by the Indian government in 2015, aims to transform the country into a knowledge-based economy with strong digital capabilities. The programme focuses on governance, on-demand services, digital citizen empowerment, and digital infrastructure for all citizens.

The purpose of the Digital India programme, according to Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, is to enhance the lives of common people. It sought to provide the populace of the nation with "accessible, inexpensive, and beneficial" technology. The initiative was broken down into several components: governance, on-demand services, digital citizen empowerment, and digital infrastructure as a utility for all citizens. After 7 years of work, the nation has strengthened its digital infrastructure and increased internet access across the board. India is ready to enter the next stage of its development, which will see the production of enormous economic value and the empowerment of citizen.

India is introducing numerous digital payment systems in the banking sector. One of them is UPI (Unified Payments Interface). This approach was introduced in India on April 11, 2016 by Raghuram G. Ranjan, the then Governor of the RBI. As a result, DIKSHA is the Indian Digital Education Portal for students in grades 1-12. It was introduced in 2017 as a part of the ATMA NIRBHAR BHARAT PROGRAM's PM E-Vidya project. 

India has also made great strides in the digital realm of communication. Indian nation creates E-Ticket mechanism for communication. On the other hand, in October 2022 , India launches its 5G network. More than 80 cities in India currently have access to 5G networks . India will have a nationwide 5G network by 2024 . Indian government launched the successful NavIC navigation system on July 1 , 2013, with assistance from ISRO . 

Using digital learning, a student can attend an online course at any time and from any location. The National Digital Health Mission was replaced by the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission on (ABDM). ABDM seeks to create the framework required to sustain the nation's integrated digital health infrastructure. Through digital highways, it would close the distance between various stakeholders and encourage quick and organised healthcare across the nation, India has gained a digital platform in the security sector. Digital Locker is a safe cloudbased platform for document and certificate storage, distribution, and verification. Under the Digital India programme, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has launched the flagship initiative. Under this context, the paper is an attempt to analyse the impact of Digital Revolution in India since its introduction.

The Digital India programme aims to create an economically, socially, and educationally empowered India. With one of the largest and most fragmented digital markets in the world, In India, there were only 237 million internet users in 2015. However, in 2023 , there will be approximately 907.4 million internet users. India has seen a growth in the number of Indians using digital platforms. With over 1.2 billion mobile connections and 560 million internet subscriptions, India has the second largest subscriber base worldwide for both services. Challenges to Digital India include infrastructural gaps, rural connectivity issues, digital literacy disparities, and concerns related to data security and privacy. Additionally, ensuring inclusivity and addressing socioeconomic barriers remain key challenges in achieving widespread digital empowerment.

In conclusion, Digital India stands as a transformative vision, propelling the nation towards a technologically empowered future, fostering inclusivity, efficiency, and innovation across all facets of society .