Digital India - How to Revolutionize

Digitization is making steady waves all across the world. India too has been brought into its fold with the Central Government introducing the Digital India flagship program. It aims to turn the country into a society that is digitally empowered and able to stand alongside the rest of the globe. Through digital transformation solutions, it’s hoped that inclusive growth will be promoted and job opportunities created. The mid-1990s saw the emergence of and implementation of e-Governance in India. While the initiative was successful, its full potential couldn’t be realized. The National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), which was introduced in 2006, also fell short of meeting its goals. The government subsequently felt the need to do more. Using information technology, it hopes to strengthen and transform public services so that India can reap the numerous benefits of this revolutionary technology. Objectives Digital India was created with a vision to change the country into one that harnesses the power of information technology. Look at some of the objectives of the program. 1 - Delivering digital infrastructure as a utility to citizens 2 - Availability of high-speed internet to deliver services to citizens 3 - Secure cyberspace and shareable private space on the cloud 4 - Unique, lifelong digital identity for every citizen 5 - Real-time availability of services from online and mobile platforms 6 - Electronic and cashless financial transactions 7 - Integrated services across government departments 8 - Universal access to digital resources 9 - Availability of digital resources in Indian languages The methodology The Indian government has proposed several digital transformation solutions. Here is a look at the approach taken by the government: 1- Existing e-Governance initiatives will be reconstructed to support Digital India’s objectives. These include, but are not limited to, utilizing cloud computing, mobile technology, and process reengineering. 2 - Use of unique ID to deliver benefits properly. 3 - Strengthening IT support to state and central government departments by restructuring the NIC. 4 - Initiatives successfully implemented will be replicated with customizations if necessary. 5 - Make PPPs a preferred choice for the implementation of e-Governance initiatives. 6 - CIO positions to be created in not less than 10 key ministries for faster and efficient implementation of e-Governance initiatives. Digital India seeks to turn India into a knowledge economy at par with developed countries. It’s hoped that it will create lakhs of jobs and will attract major investors from around the world. The program has found favor with several countries like Japan, South Korea, the US, the UK, and Singapore. While the initiative is still in the early stages, research should continue to be conducted to ascertain the worth of IT-based projects, especially in poorer states. The internet of things or IoT offers tremendous potential to turn India into a knowledge economy. The use of sensors and devices to capture data and analyze it to facilitate better decision-making can deliver positive outcomes. The process will undoubtedly take time if it’s to be all-inclusive but if initiatives are implemented well, results will yield sooner than later. Hopefully, Digital India will steer the country towards steady growth and make it a major player among others.