Namaskar,
My colleagues in the Union Cabinet Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad ji, Shri Sanjay Dhotre ji, all my colleagues, brothers and sisters associated with Digital India with different initiatives! Many congratulations to all of you on the completion of six years of the Digital India campaign!
This day is dedicated to India's potential, resolve and limitless possibilities of the future. This day reminds us of our huge leap in the digital space as a nation in just 5-6 years.
Friends,
It is the dream of the country to take India forward on the digital path at a rapid pace so that the life of every citizen becomes easier. All of us are working day and night in realizing this dream. If there is a passion for innovation on one hand, there is also a passion to adopt those innovations rapidly on the other. Therefore, Digital India is the resolve of India. Digital India is the instrument for AatmaNirbhar Bharat and is also a manifestation of a strong India emerging in the 21st century.
Friends,
Following the principle of Minimum Government – Maximum Governance, bridging the gap between the government and people, system and facilities, problems and solutions, eliminating the difficulties and increasing the convenience of the general public, was the need of the hour. And, therefore, Digital India is a great means of ensuring facilities for the common citizens and their empowerment.
Friends,
A great example of how Digital India has made this possible is DigiLocker. Keeping school certificates, college degrees, driving licenses, passports, Aadhaar or any other documents has always been a major concern for people. Many a times, important identity cards of people get destroyed in flood, earthquake, tsunami, or fire. But now all the documents from the 10th, 12th, college, university mark sheets can be stored in DigiLocker easily. In the midst of Corona, colleges in many cities are carrying out verification of school certificates for admission with the help of DigiLocker.
Friends,
Now the procedures have not only become convenient but faster due to Digital India be it applying for driving license or birth certificate, paying electricity or water bill, filing income tax return and many such services. And all these services are available to people at the CSC centres in villages. Digital India has also simplified the process of delivery of ration to the poor.
It is the power of Digital India that the resolution of One Nation, One Ration Card is being fulfilled. Now migrating to another state does not require a fresh ration card. One ration card is valid in the entire country. The families of workers who go to other states for work stand to benefit the most. I just had a conversation with one such colleague.
Recently, the esteemed Supreme Court has also given a very important decision related to this. There were some states which did not accept the One Nation, One Ration Card scheme. Now the Supreme Court has ordered those states to implement it immediately. I also hail the Supreme Court for this decision, because the scheme is for the poor and laborers and those who have to migrate for work. And such work gets priority if there is sensitivity.
Friends,
Digital India is strongly paving for the resolve of AatmaNirbhar Bharat. Digital India is connecting even those people with the system who never imagined it. I have spoken to some beneficiaries now. They were proudly sharing their experiences regarding the change in their life due to digital solutions.
Could street vendors imagine they would become part of the banking system and would also get easy and cheap loans from banks? But it is becoming possible with the SVANidhi scheme. We often hear the news of disputes and insecurity related to houses and land in villages. But now drone mapping of village lands is being done under the Svamitva scheme. Villagers are getting legal documents of their houses digitally. Crores of fellow citizens of the country are now benefiting from the platforms developed for online education and delivering medicine.
Friends,
Digital India is playing an important role in ensuring health facilities in remote areas. Someone from Bihar just told me how eSanjeevani came to the rescue of his grandmother in this difficult time. Our priority is that everyone should get good and health facilities on time. An effective platform under the National Digital Health Mission is currently underway for this purpose.
The digital solutions developed by India during the Corona period are also a topic of discussion and attraction all over the world today. One of the world's largest digital contact tracing apps, Aarogya Setu, has helped a lot in preventing corona infection. Several countries are showing interest in India's COWIN app for vaccination. They also want to take advantage of this scheme in their country. Having such a monitoring tool for the process of vaccination is proof of our technical proficiency.
Friends,
We have realized how Digital India has smoothened our work style during the Covid times. Today we find somebody is working from the mountains or from the homestays developed in the villages. Imagine, what would have been the situation in the Corona period had there been no digital connection? Some people see Digital India is only for the poor. But this campaign has also changed the lives of the middle class and youth.
What would have happened to our millennials if there was no technology? Their daily routine would have been greatly affected had there been no cheap smartphones, internet and data. Therefore, Digital India means opportunity for all, facility for all and participation of all. Digital India means everyone's access to the government machinery. Digital India means a transparent, non-discriminatory system and an attack on corruption. Digital India means saving time, labor and money. Digital India means faster and full profit. Digital India means Minimum Government, Maximum Governance.
Friends,
Another special feature of the Digital India campaign is that a lot of emphasis has been laid on both the scale and speed of the infrastructure. About 2.5 lakh Common Service Centers have provided Internet services in the villages of the country where it was once considered very difficult. Under the Bharat-Net scheme, work is going on a mission mode to provide broadband internet to villages.
Under the PM-WANI scheme, access points are being created across the country where broadband-WIFI-internet can be available at a bare minimum cost. This will greatly help the young peers and the children of our poor families in accessing online education. Plans are underway to make cheap tablets and other digital devices available in the country. The facility of the PLI scheme is being extended to the electronics companies of the country and the world in this regard.
Friends,
It is a matter of pride for every Indian that India has emerged as one of the world's leading digital economies. In the last 6-7 years, about Rs 17 lakh crore has been directly transferred to the bank accounts of the people under different schemes. We all have also seen the impact of the Digital India campaign during the Corona period. At a time when the developed countries were unable to send aid amounts to their citizens due to the lockdown, India was transferring thousands of crores of rupees directly into the bank accounts of the people. In this one-and-a-half years period of Corona, India has deposited about 7 lakh crore rupees to people's bank accounts through DBT under various schemes. Business transactions worth about five lakh crore rupees take place every month in India through BHIM UPI.
Friends,
Digital transactions have also brought an unprecedented change in the lives of farmers. Under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, Rs 1 lakh 35 crore has been deposited directly into the bank accounts of more than 10 crore farmer families. Digital India has also realized the spirit of One Nation, One MSP. This year, about 85,000 crore rupees has directly reached the bank accounts of the farmers following the record purchase of wheat. Till now, farmers of the country have made transactions worth more than 1.35 lakh crore rupees through the e-NAM portal.
Friends,
One Nation, One Card will prove to be of great use as a single medium of payment for transport and other facilities across the country. With the advent of FASTag, the commute has become easier, cheaper and there is saving of time as well. Similarly, GST and eWay Bills have ensured both convenience and transparency in trade and business in the country. Just yesterday, GST has completed four years. Despite the Corona period, the GST revenue has been crossing the one lakh crore rupee mark continuously for the last eight months. Today more than 1.28 crore registered entrepreneurs are taking advantage of this. At the same time, government procurement from Govt e-Marketplace i.e. GeM has increased transparency and provided opportunities to small traders.
Friends,
This decade is going to greatly enhance India's capabilities in digital technology and its share in the global digital economy. That's why top experts are looking at this decade as India's Techade. It is estimated that dozens of technology companies in India will join the unicorn club in the next few years. The collective power of data and the demographic dividend will result in tremendous opportunities.
Friends,
The 5G technology is going to make a big difference in every aspect of life all over the world. India is also geared up for this. Today, when the world is talking about Industry 4.0, India is a big partner in it. India is also aware of its responsibility as a data powerhouse. Therefore, continuous work is going on regarding every necessary provision for data protection. Just a few days ago, an international ranking related to cyber security has been released. India has been included in the top-10 countries of the world in the ITU-Global Cyber Security Index of more than 180 countries. Our ranking was 47th till a year ago.
Friends,
I have full faith in the youth of India and in their ability. I am sure that our youth will continue to take digital empowerment to new heights. We have to keep trying together. With this desire that we will be successful in making this decade India's Techade, I wish you all the very best again!
