Rao Inderjit Singh<\/p>\n
Over the past decade, India has undergone a digital revolution that is nothing short of
\nextraordinary. What began as a series of targeted technological interventions has now
\nevolved into a sweeping transformation, touching nearly every aspect of Indian life \u2014
\neconomy, governance, education, healthcare, commerce, and even the lives of farmers and
\nsmall entrepreneurs in the remotest corners of the country.
\nThis journey has not been accidental. It has been carefully stewarded by the Government of
\nIndia through a combination of bold policymaking, cross-ministerial collaboration, and a
\ncommitment to inclusive growth. While the line ministries – such as the Ministry of
\nElectronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the
\nMinistry of Agriculture, and others\u2014have executed large-scale projects on the ground, NITI
\nAayog has served as the policy engine, fostering convergence, driving thought leadership,
\nand nudging the system toward scalable, citizen-first innovations.
\nA major inflection point came with the rollout of the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM)
\ntrinity. With over 55 crore bank accounts opened, millions who were previously excluded
\nfrom the financial system suddenly gained access to banking and direct benefit transfers. In a
\nsmall village in Odisha, a single mother was able to receive welfare benefits directly into her
\nbank account, bypassing middlemen for the first time. Her story is echoed by millions across
\nIndia. This massive financial inclusion movement, supported by the Ministry of Finance and
\nenabled by Aadhaar and mobile penetration, laid the groundwork for what came next: a
\nfintech explosion.
\nThe Unified Payments Interface (UPI), developed by the National Payments Corporation of
\nIndia under the guidance of the RBI, revolutionised the way Indians transacted. What began
\nas a novel way to send money to a friend quickly became the lifeline of small businesses,
\nvegetable vendors, and gig workers. Today, India records over 17 billion UPI transactions
\neach month, and even roadside vegetable sellers accept digital payments with a simple QR
\ncode.<\/p>\n
At the same time, the backbone of India\u2019s digital infrastructure was being built\u2014quietly and
\npersistently\u2014under MeitY. Projects like BharatNet brought broadband to over two lakh gram
\npanchayats, while India Stack created the architecture for paperless, presence-less, and
\ncashless services. DigiLocker allowed students to access their certificates digitally, and e-
\nSign enabled remote authentication for important documents. DigiYatra is a pioneering
\ninitiative that enables seamless, paperless, and contactless air travel using facial recognition
\ntechnology. It ensures faster check-ins, enhanced passenger experience, and improved airport
\nefficiency, all while safeguarding data privacy through decentralised identity management.
\nThis marks a major step in making Indian aviation future-ready and passenger-centric. These
\nweren\u2019t just apps\u2014they were building blocks of a digital republic.
\nDigital governance also took a leap forward with the launch of the Government e-
\nMarketplace (GeM). Designed to bring transparency and efficiency into public procurement,
\nGeM has connected over 1.6 lakh government buyers with more than 22 lakh
\nsellers\u2014including a growing number of women entrepreneurs and MSMEs. For a small<\/p>\n
handicraft seller from Rajasthan, this meant access to government contracts that were
\npreviously unimaginable.<\/p>\n
The agriculture sector, often seen as resistant to change, too began embracing digital tools.
\nPlatforms like PM-Kisan ensured that income support reached farmers directly. e-NAM
\nconnected agricultural mandis across states, enabling farmers to get better prices for their
\nproduce. The digital Soil Health Card helped them understand what crops to grow and what
\nnutrients to add to their land. In rural Jharkhand, CSCs (Common Service Centres) run by
\nlocal entrepreneurs became digital lifelines\u2014offering everything from telemedicine to
\nbanking and skilling programmes.<\/p>\n
The pandemic was a stress test for India's digital public infrastructure\u2014and it passed with
\nflying colours. With schools shut, platforms like DIKSHA and SWAYAM ensured that
\nlearning didn\u2019t stop. Children in Ladakh and Kerala could access the same content, curated
\nby teachers across India. Simultaneously, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission took shape,
\nallowing citizens to access their health records through a digital ID and creating a seamless
\nexperience across hospitals and states.
\nCommerce, too, witnessed a quiet revolution. The Open Network for Digital Commerce
\n(ONDC), an initiative of DPIIT, is now enabling small kirana shops and handloom weavers
\nto compete with large e-commerce giants. By unbundling the functions of digital commerce,
\nONDC is levelling the playing field, ensuring that small businesses can access logistics,
\npayments, and customer feedback systems with ease.
\nThe convergence role that NITI plays\u2014bringing ministries, states, startups, and industry
\ntogether\u2014has ensured that digital public goods are interoperable, inclusive, and scalable. As
\nIndia moves toward its $5 trillion economy goal, new frontiers are emerging: AI-enabled
\ngovernance, decentralised commerce, and multilingual, mobile-first digital services that can
\nreach the last person in the line.
\nBut this is not just a government success story. It is the story of a nation\u2014of millions of
\ncitizens who adopted change, entrepreneurs who built on digital rails, and local leaders who
\nreimagined service delivery.
\nIndia\u2019s digital decade is not just about technology\u2014it\u2019s about transformation. And the story
\nis only just beginning.<\/p>\n
Author is Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Statistics and Programme
\nImplementation; Planning and MoS Culture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"