Introduction
The Digital India Program is a Government of India flagship program with a vision of transforming India into a digitally empowered society and information economy.
In the mid-1990s, e-governance initiatives in India took on a wider dimension for wider sectoral applications with a focus on citizen-centred services.
The government's major ICT initiatives include, among other things, some major projects, such as railway computerization and land record computerization, focusing primarily on information technology development. Many states later set in motion many ambitious individual e-governance programs aimed at supplying people with electronic services.
Although these e-governance initiatives were citizen-centric, due to their limited functionality, they could make less than the desired effect. The isolated and less responsive structures exposed critical weaknesses that hindered the widespread implementation of e-governance over the entire governance continuum.
They clearly pointed to the need for more comprehensive planning and implementation of the necessary infrastructure, interoperability issues to be addressed, etc., to establish a more interconnected government.
Vision Areas of This Programme
*1. Digital infrastructure to each and every citizen as a core utility: * - Availability of high-speed internet as a key resource for delivering services to people - Cradle to a severe digital identity that is exclusive, permanent, online, and real for every citizen - Mobile phone and bank account enabling people to engage in digital & financial space
*2. Governance and services on demand: * - Seamlessly distributed services across departments or jurisdictions - Services are available in real-time from online & mobile channels - All citizens' rights to be portable and usable on the cloud platform
*3. Digital Empowerment of Every Citizen: * - Universal digital literacy - Freely accessible open digital information - Digital tools/services available in Indian languages
Digital India Programme Structure
Digital India's system management framework consists of a Monitoring Committee led by the Prime Minister, a Digital India Advisory Group chaired by the Communications & IT Minister, and an Apex Committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary.
