Mobile Governance
Target: Self-sufficiency in electronics, leader in cyber security and hub for innovation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the government's much-awaited Digital India programme on Wednesday, pledging that it will bridge the divide between the haves and have-nots and lead to . 4.5 lakh crore in investment by ` India Inc besides creating 18 lakh jobs.Kicking off Digital India week, the prime minister said he wanted the initiative to make India self-sufficient in electronic goods, turn it into a leader in cyber security and ensure that the country becomes a hub of innovation. “I dream of a Digital India where the world looks to India for the next big idea,“ Modi told an audience on Wednesday that included the country's top industrialists.
The prime minister referred to small children instinctively grabbing mobile phones and pressing their keys as an illustration of the need to get to grips with the power of digital.“We need to understand this that's the need of the hour,“ he said. “If we don't, we'll be left far behind the rest of the world.“ He noted that it was not enough for India to say that it was an ancient civilization and a country of 125 crore with favourable demography. “Modern technology needs to be blended with these strengths.“
The ambitious, ` . 1.13 lakh crore Digital India project is aimed at opening up digital access for all Indians and making sure that government functions and services are available online to citizens.
Digital access is a catalytic agent that needs to be universally accessible, Modi told the audience. Accompanying him on stage were finance minister Arun Jaitley and telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad apart from top industrialists including Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, Bharti Group Chairman Sunil Mittal, Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani, Hero Group Chairman Pawan Munjal and Vedanta's Anil Agarwal. Senior BJP member and mentor LK Advani, accompanied by daughter Pratibha, sat in the front row along with Isha and Akash Ambani, children of Mukesh Ambani. While walking in for the programme, Anil Ambani was seen hugging his niece and nephew warmly.
The main opposition Congress party sought to sour the celebratory mood of the government, dubbing Digital India as a rehash of its own project that had been approved in 2006.The foundation for that had been laid by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi even further back, it said.
“As the BJP government pats its own back today on successfully renaming yet another UPA (United Progressive Alliance) venture, namely the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), as Digital India, the people of India can only hope that this successfully implemented and underway plan of the UPA government doesn't meet the same fate as the renamed Make in India scheme,“ Congress party spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said.
Modi lamented that India had missed the industrial revolution as it had been enslaved under colonial rule but couldn't afford to miss the latest revolution. “When it comes to the IT revolution, India is a free, youthful nation. We can't lose this opportunity,“ he said.
The PM added that technology plays a big role in making possible the government's slogan of minimum government, maximum governance. Digital access was key to this with e-governance also standing for `easy' and `economic' governance.That will soon be giving way to m-governance, he added.
“M does not mean Modi governance but mobile governance the government will be accessible on your mobile; that day is not far away,“ he said.
India has about 25-30 crore internet users now, which is a big number, he said. “But those without internet access is also a big number.“
As with the rich-poor divide, this distance between those who have digital access and those who don't needs to be bridged, Modi said.
People first settled on river banks or the sea shore, then the highways. “But now people will live where there's optical fibre,“ he said. India has 125 crore people, many of whom are young this strength needs to be equipped with modern technology, he said.
“The demographic dividend has to be given digital strength we need to prepare the nation,“ he said.
In order to make sure that India becomes a ground for innovation, the government is willing to give the youth any help they need in establishing startups, Modi said.
“Design in India is as important as Make in India and will energise Digital India,“ he said.
Modi also pushed hard for India to lead the world in coming up with ways to fight cyber warfare. He said technology was a critical part of his efforts to root out corruption, saying, “I dream of a Digital India where the citizen-government interface is incorruptible.“
He referred to the use of a digital platform for coal auctions as a process that was transparent and free from any taint of corruption. Among future scenarios sketched out by the PM, he referred to banking going completely mobile, kids not having to carry school bags laden with books and storing documents in a digital locker without the need to submit 10 copies of the same certificate at 10 different government windows.
He said India's second-highest import is electronic goods, exhorting Indian companies to Make in India. “Can't we make these goods here that are as good as any in the rest of the world?“ he said. “Digital India will prepare the ground for this.“ Modi rounded off his speech with a list of Digital India dreams to encapsulate his vision for the project, including social uplift, tackling corruption, innovation, cyber security and various others.
The prime minister referred to small children instinctively grabbing mobile phones and pressing their keys as an illustration of the need to get to grips with the power of digital.“We need to understand this that's the need of the hour,“ he said. “If we don't, we'll be left far behind the rest of the world.“ He noted that it was not enough for India to say that it was an ancient civilization and a country of 125 crore with favourable demography. “Modern technology needs to be blended with these strengths.“
The ambitious, ` . 1.13 lakh crore Digital India project is aimed at opening up digital access for all Indians and making sure that government functions and services are available online to citizens.
Digital access is a catalytic agent that needs to be universally accessible, Modi told the audience. Accompanying him on stage were finance minister Arun Jaitley and telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad apart from top industrialists including Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, Bharti Group Chairman Sunil Mittal, Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani, Hero Group Chairman Pawan Munjal and Vedanta's Anil Agarwal. Senior BJP member and mentor LK Advani, accompanied by daughter Pratibha, sat in the front row along with Isha and Akash Ambani, children of Mukesh Ambani. While walking in for the programme, Anil Ambani was seen hugging his niece and nephew warmly.
The main opposition Congress party sought to sour the celebratory mood of the government, dubbing Digital India as a rehash of its own project that had been approved in 2006.The foundation for that had been laid by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi even further back, it said.
“As the BJP government pats its own back today on successfully renaming yet another UPA (United Progressive Alliance) venture, namely the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), as Digital India, the people of India can only hope that this successfully implemented and underway plan of the UPA government doesn't meet the same fate as the renamed Make in India scheme,“ Congress party spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said.
Modi lamented that India had missed the industrial revolution as it had been enslaved under colonial rule but couldn't afford to miss the latest revolution. “When it comes to the IT revolution, India is a free, youthful nation. We can't lose this opportunity,“ he said.
The PM added that technology plays a big role in making possible the government's slogan of minimum government, maximum governance. Digital access was key to this with e-governance also standing for `easy' and `economic' governance.That will soon be giving way to m-governance, he added.
“M does not mean Modi governance but mobile governance the government will be accessible on your mobile; that day is not far away,“ he said.
India has about 25-30 crore internet users now, which is a big number, he said. “But those without internet access is also a big number.“
As with the rich-poor divide, this distance between those who have digital access and those who don't needs to be bridged, Modi said.
People first settled on river banks or the sea shore, then the highways. “But now people will live where there's optical fibre,“ he said. India has 125 crore people, many of whom are young this strength needs to be equipped with modern technology, he said.
“The demographic dividend has to be given digital strength we need to prepare the nation,“ he said.
In order to make sure that India becomes a ground for innovation, the government is willing to give the youth any help they need in establishing startups, Modi said.
“Design in India is as important as Make in India and will energise Digital India,“ he said.
Modi also pushed hard for India to lead the world in coming up with ways to fight cyber warfare. He said technology was a critical part of his efforts to root out corruption, saying, “I dream of a Digital India where the citizen-government interface is incorruptible.“
He referred to the use of a digital platform for coal auctions as a process that was transparent and free from any taint of corruption. Among future scenarios sketched out by the PM, he referred to banking going completely mobile, kids not having to carry school bags laden with books and storing documents in a digital locker without the need to submit 10 copies of the same certificate at 10 different government windows.
He said India's second-highest import is electronic goods, exhorting Indian companies to Make in India. “Can't we make these goods here that are as good as any in the rest of the world?“ he said. “Digital India will prepare the ground for this.“ Modi rounded off his speech with a list of Digital India dreams to encapsulate his vision for the project, including social uplift, tackling corruption, innovation, cyber security and various others.
