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DIGITAL INDIA PROGRAMME

DIGITAL INDIA PROGRAMME

CONTEXT

  • Recently, the Prime Minister of India addressed a virtual event to mark the completion of six years of Digital Indian programme.

MORE ABOUT DIGITAL INDIA PROGRAMME

  • Digital India is a flagship programme of the Government of India with a vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
  • Programme Management Structure for Digital India Programme – The programme management structure for Digital India consists of a Monitoring Committee on Digital India headed by the Prime Minister
    • A Digital India Advisory Group chaired by the Minister of Communications & IT and an Apex Committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary.
    • Digital India is to be implemented by the entire Government with overall coordination being done by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY).

PILLARS OF DIGITAL INDIA

  • Digital India is an umbrella programme that covers multiple Government Ministries and Departments. It weaves together a large number of ideas and thoughts into a single, comprehensive vision so that each of them can be implemented as part of a larger goal.
  • Digital India aims to provide the much needed thrust to the nine pillars of growth areas
  • Broadband Highways – This covers three sub components, namely Broadband for All – Rural, Broadband for All – Urban and National Information Infrastructure (NII).
    • Broadband for All – Rural
      • 2,50,000 village Panchayats would be covered under the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) by December 2016. Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is the nodal Department for this project.
    • Broadband for All – Urban
      • Virtual Network Operators would be leveraged for service delivery and communication infrastructure in new urban developments and buildings would be mandated
    • National Information Infrastructure (NII)
      • NII would integrate the network and cloud infrastructure in the country to provide high speed connectivity and cloud platform to various government departments up to the panchayat level.
    • Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity – As part of the comprehensive development plan for North East, providing mobile coverage to uncovered villages has been initiated. Mobile coverage to remaining uncovered villages would be provided in a phased manner.
    • Electronics Manufacturing – This pillar focuses on promoting electronics manufacturing in the country with the target of NET ZERO Imports by 2020 as a striking demonstration of intent. This ambitious goal requires coordinated action on many fronts, such as
      • Taxation, incentives
      • Economies of scale, eliminating cost disadvantages
    • Early Harvest Programmes-Early Harvest Programme basically consists of those projects which are to be implemented within short timeline. This include Biometric attendance, Wi-Fi network in universities, School books to be eBooks, Public Wi-Fi.
    • E-Kranti: National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) 2.0: objective of E-kranti is to redefine NeGPto bring about transformational and outcome-oriented e-Governance initiatives, provideIntegrated Services (not individual) and to promote optimum usage of core ICT andpromote citizen centric services.
    • e-Governance (Reforming Government through Technology) – Government Process Re-engineering using IT to simplify and make the government processes more efficient is critical for transformation to make the delivery of government services more effective across various government domains and therefore needs to be implemented by all Ministries/ Departments.
    • Information for All
      • Open Data platform – Open Data platform facilitates proactive release of datasets in an open format by the ministries/departments for use, reuse and redistribution. Online hosting of information & documents would facilitate open and easy access to information for citizens.
      • Government shall pro-actively engage through social media – Government shall pro-actively engage through social media and web based platforms to inform and interact with citizens.
    • IT for Jobs – This pillar focuses on providing training to the youth in the skills required for availing employment opportunities in the IT sector

ACHIEVEMENTS OFDIGITAL INDIA

  • in is a platform to share inputs and ideas on matters of policy and governance. It is a platform for citizen engagement in governance, through a “Discuss”, “Do” and “Disseminate” approach.
  • UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) is a Government of India all-in-one single unified secure multi-channel multi-platform multi-lingual multi-service freeware mobile app for accessing over 1,200 central and state government services in multiple Indian languages over Android, iOS, Windows devices.
  • eHospital application provides important services such as online registration, payment of fees and appointment, online diagnostic reports, enquiring availability of blood online, etc.
  • Back-end digitisation
    • Black money eradication: The 2016, Union budget of India announced 11 technology initiatives including the use of data analytics to nab tax evaders, creating a substantial opportunity for IT companies to build out the systems that will be required
  • Digital Locker facility will help citizens to digitally store their important documents like PAN card, Passport, mark sheets and degree certificates. Digital Locker will provide secure access to Government-issued documents. It uses authenticity services provided by Aadhaar.
  • e-Sampark Vernacular email service: To connect rural India with Digital India, the Government of India impelled email services provider giants including Gmail, office, and Rediff to provide the email address in regional languages.

CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING DIGITAL INDIA PROGRAMME

Almost everyone on Facebook changed their profile pictures to support digital India but to make it reality here are list of challenges in the implementation of digital India. Challenges are in every sector right from policy making, changing the work flow up to changing the mentality of the government officers. It is technological change within the most diversified nation. Few of them have been listed below:

  • Connectivity to Remote Areas: It is a mammoth task to have connectivity with each and every village,town and city. The problem of connectivity is a complex issue because every state has different lawspertaining to its execution. Also it is challenging for the central authorities to make a database wheresuch a huge information can be stored.
  • High Level of Digital Illiteracy: Digital illiteracy is prevalent in most of the towns and villages in India.Cities have adopted digitalization but limited to certain extent. Full fledged digitalization is cashlesstransaction on daily basis, use of internet services to get government certificates.This requiresadministration changes, Taxation changes and change in public mentality. So it’s a team work whichincludes citizen’s responsibility and support to the new system.
  • Cyber Crime: There is cyber threat all over the globe and digital India will not be any exception. Hencewe need a strong anti-cybercrime team which maintains the database and protects it round the clock
  • Inter Departmental Coordination: Within the government there are various departments which shouldbe integrated. Integration has technical as well as corporate issue. Corporate in the sense self-ego of theofficers and staff of our government services are hurdle in the change. Also the middle man policy will beeliminated completely because of digital India, hence there will be imminent resistance from theworking staff
  • Net Neutrality: The issue is still on the table and we are blindly following the digital India. Net neutralityis must and we should make sure that digital India without net neutrality would be a great blow toentrepreneurs and citizens of India.
  • Changing The Mindset: This point will come into picture when you have allocated the required resourcesand material but when it comes to implementing them, most of them will be hesitant to change. Peopleare accustomed with years of same of practice that they are not ready to change.
  • Exchange of Information: The information stored should also be used by other government offices. Forexample, police surveillance and other security issues can be easily resolved with digital India but itscoordination is a mammoth task. It is not only a technological question but also deals with the questionof privacy and security.

SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF DIGITAL INDIA PROGRAMME

  • To make this programme successful, a massive awareness programme has to be conducted. There is pressing need to educate and inform the citizens, especially in rural and remote areas, about the benefits of internet services to increase the growth of internet usage.
  • Digital divide needs to be addressed.
  • Manufacturing content is not government’s strength. This mission needs content and service partnerships with telecom companies and other firms.
  • PPP models must be explored for sustainable development of digital infrastructure.
  • Private sector should be encouraged for development of last mile infrastructure in rural and remote areas. To encourage private sector, there must be favorable taxation policies, quicker clearance of projects.
  • The success of digital India project depends upon maximum connectivity with minimum cyber security risks. For this we need a strong anti-cybercrime team which maintains the database and protects it round the clock.
  • To improve skill in cyber security, we need to introduce cyber security course at graduate level and encourage international certification bodies to introduce various skill based cyber security courses.
  • There is need for effective participation of various departments and demanding commitment and efforts. Various policies in different areas should support this goal.
  • For successful implementation, there must be amendments in various legislations that have for long hindered the growth of technology in India.

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