This is a follow up to the key decisions taken on the design of the programme during the meeting of the Prime Minister on Digital India Programme on August 7.It to sensitize all ministries to this vast programme touching every corner of the government.  This programme has been envisaged by Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY). (हिन्दी में पढ़े ;डिजिटल इंडिया : सशक्त समाज और ज्ञान अर्थव्यवस्था कार्यक्रम)

The vision of Digital India aims to transform the country into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.  The programe will be implemented in phases from the current year till 2018.  The Digital India is transformational in nature and would ensure that Government services are available to citizens electronically.  It would also bring in public accountability through mandated delivery of government’s services electronically, a Unique ID and e-Pramaan based on authentic and standard based interoperable and integrated government applications and data basis.

The source of funding for most of the e-Governance projects at present is through budgetary provisions of respective Ministries/ Departments in the Central or State governments. Requirements of funds for individual project(s) for Digital India will be worked out by respective Nodal Ministries/ Departments.

The fundamental vision areas of Digital India are infrastructure as utility to every citizen, High speed internet as a core utility shall be made available in all Gram Panchayats, Cradle to grave digital identity - unique, lifelong, online and authenticable, Mobile phone and Bank account would enable participation in digital and financial space at individual level, Easy access to a Common Service Centre within their locality, Shareable private space on a public cloud and Safe and secure Cyber-space in the country.

The second feature of Digital India programme is Governance and Services on Demand. In this section the government is promising for Seamlessly integrated across departments or jurisdictions to provide easy and a single window access to all persons, Government services available in real time from online and mobile platforms, All citizen entitlements to be available on the Cloud to ensure easy access, Government services digitally transformed for improving Ease of Doing Business and Making financial transactions above a threshold, electronic and cashless.


Digital India programme also insures Leveraging GIS for decision support systems and development to provide Digital Empowerment of Citizens. It insures about Universal digital literacy, All digital resources universally accessible, All Government documents/ certificates to be available on the Cloud, Availability of digital services in Indian languages, Collaborative digital platforms for participative governance,   Portability of all entitlements for individuals through the Cloud.

Even though India is known as a powerhouse of software, the availability of electronic government services to citizens is still comparatively low. The National e-Governance Plan approved in 2006 has made a steady progress through Mission Mode Projects and Core ICT Infrastructure, but greater thrust is required to ensure effective progress in electronics manufacturing and e-Governance in the country.   The Digital India vision provides the intensified impetus for further momentum and progress for this initiative and this would promote inclusive growth that covers electronic services, products, devices, manufacturing and job opportunities. India in the 21st Century must strive to meet the aspirations of its citizens where government and its services reach the doorsteps of citizens and contribute towards a long-lasting positive impact.  The Digital India Programme aims to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy by leveraging IT as a growth engine of new India.