Vision of Digital India
The vision of Digital India programme is to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
Vision Areas of Digital India
The Digital India programme is centred on three key vision areas:
Digital Infrastructure as a Utility to Every Citizen
Availability of high speed internet as a core utility for delivery of services to citizens
Cradle to grave digital identity that is unique, lifelong, online and authenticable to every citizen
Mobile phone & bank account enabling citizen participation in digital & financial space
Easy access to a Common Service Centre
Shareable private space on a public cloud
Safe and secure cyber-space
Governance & Services on Demand
Seamlessly integrated services across departments or jurisdictions
Availability of services in real time from online & mobile platforms
All citizen entitlements to be portable and available on the cloud
Digitally transformed services for improving ease of doing business
Making financial transactions electronic & cashless
Leveraging Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) for decision support systems & development
Digital Empowerment of Citizens
Universal digital literacy
Universally accessible digital resources
Availability of digital resources / services in Indian languages
Collaborative digital platforms for participative governance
Citizens not required to physically submit Govt. documents / certificates
Vision Area 1: Digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizen infrastructure
A well connected nation is a prerequisite to a well served nation. Once the remotest of the Indian villagers are digitally connected through broadband and high speed internet, then delivery of electronic government services to every citizen, targeted social benefits, and financial inclusion can be achieved in reality. One of the key areas on which the vision of Digital India is centred is “digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizen”.A key component under this vision is high speed internet as a core utility to facilitate online delivery of various services. It is planned to set up enabling infrastructure for digital identity, financial inclusion and ensure easy availability of common services centres. It is also proposed to provide citizens with “digital lockers” which would be sharable private spaces on a public cloud, and where documents issued by Government departments and agencies could be stored for easy online access. It is also planned to ensure that the cyberspace is made safe and secure.
Vision Area 2: Governance and services on demand
Over the years, a large number of initiatives have been undertaken by various State Governments and Central Ministries to usher in an era of e-governance. Sustained efforts have been made at multiple levels to improve the delivery of public services and simplify the process of accessing them. E-governance in India has steadily evolved from computerization of Government Departments to initiatives that encapsulate the finer points of Governance, such as citizen centricity, service orientation and transparency.
The National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) was approved in 2006 to take a holistic view of e-governance initiatives across the country, integrating them into a collective vision. Around this idea, a massive countrywide infrastructure reaching down to the remotest of villages is being developed, and large-scale digitization of records is taking place to enable easy and reliable access over the internet. The ultimate objective was to make all government services accessible to the common man in his locality, through common service delivery outlets, and ensure efficiency, transparency, and reliability of such services at affordable costs to realise the basic needs of the common man".
Six elements are crucial for ensuring that governance and services are made available on demand to all citizens and other stakeholders in the country.
Vision Area 3: Digital empowerment of citizens
Digital connectivity is a great leveller. Cutting across demographic and socio-economic segments, Indians are increasingly connecting and communicating with each other through mobile phones and computers riding on digital networks. The Digital India programme itself promises to transform India into a digitally empowered society by focusing on digital literacy, digital resources, and collaborative digital platforms. This also places emphasis on universal digital literacy and availability of digital resources/services in Indian languages.