Digital India Initiatives
- It is an umbrella program to prepare India for a knowledge-based transformation.
- It weaves together a large number of ideas and thoughts into a single comprehensive vision so that each of them is seen as part of a larger goal.
- It has been launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity).
Vision Areas
Digital Infrastructure as a Utility to Every Citizen
Here are a few key ideas on providing digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizen:
- Access to the internet and digital services should be considered a basic right, just like access to electricity, water, etc. This enables citizens to participate fully in society.
- Government has a role to play in regulating and subsidizing digital infrastructure so it is affordable and accessible to all. This may involve public-private partnerships.
- Focus should be on providing high-speed broadband internet to rural and low-income areas where commercial providers don't operate. This prevents digital divides.
- Digital literacy programs should be promoted to enable citizens to use digital tools effectively. Public computer centers can also provide access.
- Government services and information should be available digitally to improve access. Digital IDs can help with online transactions.
- Data costs should be regulated and subsidies provided for low-income groups to enable mobile internet access. Special tariffs can be introduced.
- Citizens' privacy and security should be protected through cybersecurity policies and regulations around data gathering by private companies.
- Investments in digital infrastructure can stimulate economic growth, job creation, innovation and provide efficient service delivery. But policies are needed to ensure inclusiveness.
The idea is to make access to the digital world open to all like other public utilities so that everyone can participate meaningfully in the information society. It requires vision and coordinated efforts between government, private sector and civil society.
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Various Initiatives Under Digital India Initiatives
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MyGov: It aims to establish a link between Government and Citizens towards meeting the goal of good governance.
- It encourages citizens as well as people abroad to participate in various activities i.e. ‘Do’, ‘Discuss’, ‘Poll’, ‘Talk’, ‘Blog’, etc.
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DigiLocker: It serves as a platform to enable citizens to securely store and share their documents with service providers who can directly access them electronically.
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E-Hospital-Online Registration Framework (ORF): It is an initiative to facilitate the patients to take online OPD appointments with government hospitals. This framework also covers patient care, laboratory services and medical record management.
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National Scholarships Portal (NSP): It provides a centralized platform for application and disbursement of scholarship to students under any scholarship scheme.
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DARPAN: It is an online tool that can be used to monitor and analyze the implementation of critical and high priority projects of the State.
- It facilitates presentation of real time data on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of selected schemes/projects to the senior functionaries of the State Government as well as district administration.
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PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation): It has been aimed at starting a culture of Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation.
- It is also a robust system for bringing e-transparency and e-accountability with real-time presence and exchange among the key stakeholders.
- It was launched in 2015.
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Common Services Centres 2.0 (CSC 2.0): It is being implemented to develop and provide support to the use of information technology in rural areas of the country.
- The CSCs are Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enabled kiosks with broadband connectivity to provide various Governments, private and social services at the doorstep of the citizen.
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Mobile Seva: It provides government services to the people through mobile phones and tablets.
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Jeevan Pramaan: It is an Aadhaar based Biometric Authentication System for Pensioners.
- The system provides authenticity to Digital Life Certificate without the necessity of the pensioner being present in person before his/ her Pension Dispensing Authority (PDA).
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National Centre of Geo-informatics (NCoG): Under this project, Geographic Information System (GIS) platform for sharing, collaboration, location based analytics and decision support system for Departments has been developed.
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National E-Governance Plan (NeGP): It takes a holistic view of e-Governance initiatives across the country, integrating them into a collective vision and a shared cause.
- It comprises of 31 Mission Mode Projects, approved in 2006, but later it was integrated into Digital India Program.
Digital Empowerment of Citizens
Here are some ways to digitally empower citizens:
- Improve digital literacy through training programs, especially for the elderly, low-income groups, and rural populations. This enables them to use technology confidently.
- Promote digital access through public internet facilities, subsidized devices, and low-cost broadband. This reduces divides.
- Simplify e-services and make them mobile-friendly for ease of use. Apps for government services improve access.
- Enact data protection regulations so citizens' privacy is respected online. This builds trust.
- Provide digital IDs for all citizens to avail online services and make digital transactions easy.
- Open government data platforms so citizens can access information and provide feedback.
- Establish e-governance policies for public accountability and transparency.
- Support digital entrepreneurship and innovations that address local needs.
- Set up forums for public consultations on digital policies and issues.
- Enforce cybercrime laws and improve reporting mechanisms to enhance safety.
- Promote digital rights like freedom of speech, data protection, etc.
The goal is to create tech-savvy citizens who can participate fully in the digital economy. Combined efforts of government, civil society and private sector can make this possible.
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Governance and Services on Demand
The Digital India program leverages technology to deliver efficient, transparent and accountable governance while providing citizens access to a host of public services on demand. By digitizing records, processes and delivery mechanisms, integrating services through common platforms and APIs, establishing online grievance redressal systems, mandating electronic delivery with timelines, and providing robust digital infrastructure and digital identity, Digital India enables citizens to conveniently access myriad government services digitally 24/7 without visiting offices. Presence-less, paperless and cashless service delivery customized to user needs is facilitated through electronic delivery of benefits, subsidies and payments. Unified service delivery portals, apps and electronic delivery channels extend the reach of e-services to rural areas bridging digital divides. By promoting digital literacy, constantly improving services through data analytics, and enabling two-way communications between citizens and the government, Digital India aims to digitally empower citizens while enhancing the reach, quality, speed and accountability of governance and public service delivery on citizens' demand.
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