Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the beneficiaries of ‘Digital India’ today through video conferencing, on the occasion of ‘Digital India’ completing six years since its launch. The Union Minister of Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad and MoS for Education Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Modi said India has demonstrated both passion for innovation and the ability to adapt those innovations rapidly. Digital India is the resolve of India. Digital India is the instrument for Aatma Nirbhar Bharat. Digital India is a manifestation of a strong Indian that is emerging in the 21st Century. The Prime Minister evoked his mantra of Minimum Government – Maximum Governance and explained how Digital India is empowering the citizens by reducing the gap between government and people, system and facilities, problems and solutions.
He cited how Digilocker helped millions of people, particularly during the pandemic. School certificates, medical records, and other critical documents were all maintained digitally across the country.
PM said the services like getting a driver’s licence, birth certificate, paying electricity bills, paying water bills, filing income tax returns, etc have become faster and more convenient in villages, even e Common Service Centres (CSCs) are helping the people. Initiatives like the One Nation One Ration Card are made possible by Digital India. He commended the Supreme Court for asking all the states to implement the initiative in the respective states.
Modi expressed satisfaction over how Digital India has changed the lives of the beneficiaries. He noted the benefits of the Svanidhi Scheme and solving the problem of lack of security of ownership through the Swamitva scheme. He also mentioned the e-Sanjivini scheme with regard to remote medicine and informed that work is on for an effective platform under the National Digital Health Mission.
Modi said the digital solutions that India has developed during the Corona period are currently a topic of discussion and attraction around the world today. One of the world’s largest digital contact tracing app Aarogya Setu has helped a lot in the prevention of COVID-19. He added that many countries have also shown interest in India’s COWIN app for vaccination. Having such a monitoring tool for the process of vaccination is proof of our technical proficiency.
‘’Digital India means opportunity for all, facility for all, participation of all. Digital India means everyone’s access to the government system. Digital India means a transparent, non-discriminatory system and an attack on corruption. Digital India means saving time, labour, and money. Digital India means fast profit, full profit. Digital India means minimum government, maximum governance.’’
‘’Digital India campaign helped the country during the Corona period. At a time when developed countries were unable to send aid money to their citizens due to the lockdown, India was sending thousands of crores of rupees directly to the bank accounts of the people. Digital transactions have brought an unprecedented change in the lives of farmers. Under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, Rs 1.35 lakh crore has been deposited directly into the bank account of more than 10 crore farmer families. Digital India has also realized the spirit of One Nation, One MSP,’’ he added.
A lot of emphasis is being made on the scale and speed at which the infrastructure for Digital India is being made. He added that through 2.5 lakh Common Service Centres Internet had reached remote areas. Under Bharat Net scheme, work is underway on a mission mode to bring broadband internet to the villages.116:31
Access points are being established through PM WANI so that youngsters from rural areas can connect to high-speed internet for better services and education. Affordable tablets and digital devices are being offered to students across the nation. Production Linked Subsidies have been offered to electronic companies to realize this goal. In the last 6-7 years due to Digital India, around Rs. 17 lakh crore has been transferred in the bank accounts of beneficiaries under various schemes.
Modi stated that this decade will considerably improve India’s capabilities in digital technology, as well as India’s share of the global digital economy. 5G technology will bring significant changes in the world, and India is preparing for it. He believes that, as a result of digital empowerment, the youth will continue to take you to new heights. These will help in making this decade as ‘India’s Techade’.
(Input : PBNS)
