Benefits of Digital India Scheme

The Indian horizon saw a new light in 2014 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the Digital India scheme. The introduction of Digital India was for the simplest of reasons: making India technology savvy, promoting mobile phones, improving connectivity, making services available on the internet, etc.

This scheme has received special impetus after demonetisation and the advent of Jio. Digital India is mainly focused on three main ideas:

• Creation of Digital Infrastructure and Electronic Manufacturing in India.
• Delivery of all Government Services electronically (E-Governance).
• Digital Empowerment of Indians.

In this article, we will cover the major benefits of Digital India Scheme and see how it will help in the development of the nation and its citizens.

Advantages of Digital India Scheme

Following are some of the benefits of the Digital India scheme: -

1. Convenience in Services

Many services like payment of bills, booking of seats etc. have become so easy. Earlier, if we had to pay the water bill or, say, the electricity bill, we had to stand in long queues. Slowly and gradually, the line in front of us would thin, and when we reached the counter, it would be lunch break! How frustrating was that! But gone are those days. Now, we can pay these bills in less than a minute.

You only require an internet connection and money in your bank with an internet banking facility (Now UPI, debit card payment with CVV, etc., are also available). The government has also started some services like booking appointments for driving licenses, passports, PAN cards, etc. This has saved plenty of time for the people of this country. Earlier, these above jobs were considered very time-consuming. It would take days.

But today, thanks to digitisation, the time has decreased considerably. Another service called DIGILOCKER has been started. One can ‘pull’ important documents like an Aadhaar card, PAN card, driver's license, etc. from government agencies. More services like filing Income tax returns (or even paying income tax, GST) and RTI, etc. can also be mentioned. Services provided by the government through electronic means are in a common parlance called E-Governance.

2. Courts

Indian courts are starting to get digital. Online case serial numbers, online filing (for some tribunals), judgments, etc., can be viewed online. This has helped expedite the much-needed court process.

3. Education

Earlier, the only type of education that was known was “classroom education”. This trend has changed. Now, learning can be done anywhere. Many paid applications like BYJU’s, Khan Academy, etc., provide education on the go. Education has no boundaries now because of Digital India. But education has exponential potential in regards to Digital India. Some of the redundant laws, like mandatory 75% attendance, need to be scrapped by the government and replaced with education through live teaching or recordings, etc. We have barely scratched the surface. More improvement can be made with regard to the education sector.

4. Jobs

Digital India has resulted in an explosion of job opportunities for job seekers interested in computers. The demand for IT experts and computer engineers has increased exponentially. With the advent of technology, cybercrimes have increased. This has resulted in the demand for cyber and forensic experts and cyber lawyers. Digital India has created a new sphere of jobs which was not even thought of in the earlier days.

5. E-commerce and E-Payments

Digital India has resulted in the flourishing of e-commerce websites like Flipkart, Amazon, Myntra, Snapdeal, etc. This has attracted foreign investment and jobs. This has increased competition among the sellers, and so the prices have decreased, and more options are now available to the buyer. Overall, it has been very beneficial for the Indian economy.

E-payment websites have also flourished under this scheme, especially after demonetisation. Paytm, MobiKwik, Phone-pay, Ola money, Airtel money etc. All these e-payment websites have helped the money market and also provided convenience to the users.

6. Superfast Internet Speed

After the inception of JIO, data rates have been falling. Earlier, it was Rs 300 for 1GB of data for 28 days. Now, it is Rs 300 for daily 1GB data for almost 3 months! Even the data speed has increased almost 10 times. This happened indirectly due to Digital India.

Major Steps Under Digital India Scheme

Digital India has been an ambitious and beneficial step in India's development. Many criticise this move on the following grounds: -

1. Killing the jobs of manual workers.
2. Birth of new crimes, new instruments available for the criminals to commit crimes.
3. Lack of infrastructure.

Tackling the first argument, we cannot stop something new just because it steps over something old and inefficient. If we use argument (A) everywhere, then nothing new will ever come. Petrol vehicles destroyed bullock carts, writing on paper destroyed inscription on stones etc. Some major steps taken by the government under the Digital India scheme are:

• BharatNet: This extensive project aims to connect over 250,000 Gram Panchayats (village councils) via a high-speed fiber-optic network, significantly enhancing rural internet connectivity.
• e-Hospital, e-Sign, e-Education: Initiatives under Digital India aiming to streamline healthcare, document signing, and education systems using technology.
• National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM): Targets upskilling citizens in various digital tools and technologies.
• Electronics Manufacturing: Incentives and schemes are promoting India as a hub for electronics manufacturing with the goal of reducing imports.

The Bottom Line

The government is continuously making efforts to strengthen the law and order regarding this (KYC guidelines, The Information Technology Act, RBI guidelines, etc.). It is trying to improve the digital infrastructure, spreading digital awareness, etc. Ultimately, it can be said that the Digital India programme has huge potential, and if properly regulated, it can make India great again.