The Launch of Digital India Week

By Somali K Chakrabarti

 

1st July 2015, marked the launch of the much spoken about Digital India week with much fanfare at the Indira Gandhi Indoor stadium in New Delhi to realize the vision of a Digitally connected India that will transform the lives of 1.2 billion Indian citizens.

Digital India
Digital India Logo

Attended by who’s who of India’s corporate world and by the top executives of a number of foreign companies, the launch earmarked the start of a program to bring digital revolution to the masses.

While the Industry leaders made their brief remarks on how they will contribute to the initiative , the highlight of the program was the PM’s speech, where he successfully sold the story of a digitally connected India and presented the government’s road-map for digitizing India.

An admirable part of  Narendra Modi’s speech is how he connects the need for development with the day to day needs of the people. For those who missed the PM’s speech here are a few salient points that explain how a digitally connected India can empower and transform the lives of 1.25 billion citizens of the country.

 

Bridging the Digital Divide

  • The PM highlighted that the growth of IT in India has helped a section of IT savvy population to progress. But this has also widened the gap between the digitally empowered and those who are not. The aim of Digital India mission is to bridge the gap between the digitally empowered citizens and those who are bereft of the benefits of digitization.
  • He said that earlier settlements and cities were formed near the river beds, nowadays people like to stay at places from where they have proximity to the highway, and this will further change in future as people will prefer to live in areas connected by information highways. This is indicative of the fact that connecting the rural areas help in spreading all round development by will connecting farming communities with digital world.
  • Pointing out that even kids nowadays reach out for your cell to fiddle with, rather than for your specs or pen, Modi said that we need to take cognizance of this change and mould ourselves.

 .

Free from queues and documents

  • One of the greatest hassles faced by the citizens are the long queues in which people have to stand for filing any application. Digitization will save citizens from queuing up in front of offices and provide the ease of filing application digitally from home or workplace and e-signing the documents. The documents that are required to be attached with the applications can be accessed from the eLockers that all citizens will be provided with.
  • Medical files making appointments at hospitals, getting reports will be enabled digitally.

 

Protection against cyber-crimes

  • With digitization comes the threat of increase in cyber crimes. Cyber wars are the new kind of bloodless wars that pose a threat to people and India needs to be equipped to face any cyber attacks.

 

National Digital Literacy Mission

  • The essential requisite for spreading the benefits of digitization is digital literacy. National Digital Literacy Mission aims to achieve digital literacy starting from schools and percolating down to the village level.

 

From IT services to Electronic Goods Manufacturing Hub

  • A point raised by the PM was that while India has carved a name for itself in the field of IT services, but we largely depend on import of Electronic products. Now it is time that India starts manufacturing Electronics goods, designing them as per local needs and also for exports. Emphasizing that the govt aims to stop net import of  electronics by 2020, he urged the industry and the startups to Make In India, and assured of conducive policies to create an environment for growth.

 

The Prime Minister was quick to observe that Rs 4.5 lakh crore investment has been committed for Digital India and employment for 18 lakh people.

He appeared confident that with 975 million mobile users and 300 million internet users, India is set to transform into a Digitally Developed Democracy, with technology playing a big role in realizing the dream of minimum government, maximum governance.

 

 

If you like the post, please consider following the blog for email updates.

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Please like, share and/or leave feedback in comments below! :P

 

 

49 thoughts on “The Launch of Digital India Week”

  1. Yes Somali, this is something very exciting and fascinating to hear…being in the space I can fully relate to it and see how the nation is going change and change radically with this emphasis and roll out of a comprehensive digital road-map, and with the initiative from the Govt. and with such strong drive from the PM itself, I can see through the things to come. In fact all the private players have been waiting for such a platform and an drive from the govt. It is just the beginning, and you name the space and every space you can see how digitally it can transformed.

    As we have “Digital Campus” a Education Transformation Solution from our Company, our own product, with hundreds of educational institutions running on it, we have seen how schools, college, higher education is changing with digitization…today educational campuses can no longer remain physical and it has to go virtual and only the degree of digitization varies, we have been seeing the transformation with physical campus becoming digital campus…and this phenomena applies to all fields, and yes from education to health to governance the opportunity are mind boggling..

    Thanks Somali for sharing it and I can go on and on on this topic being passionately involved in it and truly believe this can transform millions of lives…it is only how quickly we change our attitude and start accepting the new world order…

    Cheers to a Digital India, and empowering millions who have been digitally deprived…kudos to our Govt. & Prime Minister Modi in particular…

    😀

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Nihar, This coming from a digital strategist makes perfect sense.:-)

      Educational campuses worldwide are transitioning from having a pure physical presence to online offline mode.Good to know about Digital Campus offering of your company. I am aware of some excellent course offerings available in the form of Moocs..of course the viability is yet to be ascertained.

      I believe such models and many more will evolve with time that will benefit a large number of people and create many job opportunities. A strong govt backing for Digital India should come as a boon in that sense.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Yes, you are right Somali, the digital model for educational institutions are just evolving…online courses like MOOCs are just one part of many aspects of digitizing the campus, it is taking all the processes onto the cloud and onto mobile platform. Learning, teaching, assessment to delivery everything is changing and changing radically with the advent of digital technology. It is definitely going make life simple and convenient for all us.
        Yes, with govt. being proactive and progressive in its plan and action, the results will be much better with faster decisions…
        Indeed cheers to our Digital India initiative by our Govt…
        😀

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Yes. This is an amazing initiative. Hope it goes well and we can see a completely digitized India. It is important that information about anything should be available to anyone, at anytime. So what can be better, everyone connected digital. Many school students will get the access to knowledge. And as they say, ache din aane wale hai. Narendra Modi bahut ache ache initiatives le rahe hai.. Proud of him. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Yeah…just saw it trending on Twitter. A great initiative no doubt, but we have a long way to go. Literacy is of utmost importance. Only them we can optimize the usefulness of digitization. Let’s hope for the best…. that day perhaps is not too far when our country will be one of the most developed and digitized ones…. 🙂

    Like

    1. True Maniparna. This is just the start..a whole lot of challenges would be lying ahead in accomplishing the vision. Nonetheless the starting the initiative on a large scale and backed by none other than the PM gives us a reason to think that the govt seriously wants to do something about it.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Very timely initiative on your part to help indibloggers know about the event which is momentous to say the least. Thanks! I witnessed the DD coverage and feel proud of my country and our PM who is decisive and a great doer.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Well, my experience tells that it’s of no use unless work culture changes in this country. I have a really bad experience with Online Grievance Mechanism of Govt. of India. After fed up with local authorities attitude, I lodged a complaint there. The complaint was forwarded to the concerned local authority in a downstream manner, but that’s it. Their responsibility was over. I filed a reminder, but of no use. Then I complaint to the Nodal Officer of Grievance Cell. He forwarded it to the Department Head. The problem was there as it was before. Nothing changed. I’ve to settle it locally. I hope, you’d have guessed what locally means.

    Anyway, you explained it thoroughly. Appreciate your effort & concern. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    1. You’ve made a valid point Ravish. For such a big trans-formative initiative to be successful, major changes will have to be brought about in the work culture as well..and that that will take both time and intent. Only then the benefits of the initiative will accrue.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. It is really good that the govt is moving the digital way. We have a lot of gaps to fill but digitization certainly addresses transparency and accountability and also increases the speed hopefully. It might mean training of a lot of people and initial investment from the govt, but it sure is worth all the trouble 🙂 .. Great going..

    Like

  14. somali! theoretically, Many initiatives which are taken up by the authorities are supposed to be good…at least in paper! Unless, people working in the machinery at middle and lower level support these schemes/steps it cannot function!!! we correct attitude and mindset of people. Apart from this, we also need good infrastructure. while we might claim we have 3G network, in reality it may best be described as just 2.5G !!! Call drop is common problem that plague most of the operator. If you happen to be in slightly remote areas where electricity is available only for few hours, even mobile connectivity is an issue! I know these are just small things but they have huge impact.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You are right. Challenges and issues will be multiple . Developing the Infrastructure in itself is the biggest challenge. however if the push is maintained then solutions will also emerge. The key is that the will to keep this initiative going should not wither away.

      Liked by 1 person

  16. India is the second largest country with mobile phone users after China, this initiative will leverage the existing and take it to a platform where all are connected. While the initiative is warmly welcome history shows that opposition from non-ruling parties and corruption to the funds allocated to initiatives derails missions. Hope this is a great success.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Heard about it . Somali you have thoroughly explained the idea. Exited to know about the initiative. Now we have to see how it is going to be implemented.

    Like

  19. Thank you Somali for very nicely explaining this initiative of the Govt, in a nutshell. I agree its a big leap ahead for us all. Of course we cannot expect miracles overnight, but our PM and his Team of Ministers will surely take this forward and ensure its success. We have to give it reasonable time. As an Indian I am proud of this very useful development and wish all concerned in its implementation, my best wishes. And thanks to you for highlighting this development.

    Liked by 2 people

  20. I am a firm believer that the country can progress if all have access to high-speed broadband. We can take medical care, education etc. to all corners of our country and have information at our fingertips. But, I do also agree with Ravish’s viewpoint. I have suffered apathy and lethargy in government departments when noone heeds online complaints. The work culture and mindsets in general need to be addressed. Also there will be resistance from corrupt government departments as it takes away the scope of corruption. One department that has stood out in its implementation of online initiatives is the Income Tax Department. Yet, I laud PM’s initiative. The only way forward is to get India digitally enabled. I just hope the implementation is as envisaged. I loved how you pointed out all details.

    Like

    1. Thank you Rachna. High speed broadband is so much needed for digital efficiency. With every new app I install on my cell, my cell becomes sluggish. With proper infrastructure and knowhow people in far flung areas can be connected. The mindset part is given, it has to change for the program to succeed. Let’s hope at the roadblocks are successfully dealt with.

      Liked by 1 person

  21. Hope this dream is realized soon.

    I have my PF still lying with my last 2 companies in India…it is too much of a hassle right now to transfer it when i am not physically in India. I have been asked to do physical paper-work, which is not easy.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Thanks Somali for providing such valuable information about digital India. I appreciate the steps proposed to be taken by govt. This should however be monitored carefully.

    Liked by 1 person

  23. Digitisation will definitely help make the lives of citizens easier. Two points though. People need to change their attitude and use digital access to gather knowledge, make informed decisions and voice their opinions on governance issues more to let the government know what they expect and what they feel. The second more important point is that technology should not be allowed to form a human barrier. Personal interaction is key to truly getting insights into people issues. Always presuming that the government is truly interested in hearing the voice of the people.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks for sharing your views Lata, Both very valid points. Change in attitude may stem up if people find better opportunities and better ways of engagement through digitization. Of course technology should be used to aid gathering of insights and personal interactions,and not be allowed to form barriers.

      Like

  24. Hope it does more than talking. Talks of setting up semiconductor fabs (to produce electronic chips) is going on for past few years, it makes news now and then but nothing has happened on the ground yet.

    Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment