By :- Shruti Tiwari
India marks a significant milestone as the Digital India Mission completes ten years since its launch on July 1, 2015. To commemorate the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a blog titled “A Decade of Digital India” on his official LinkedIn account, reflecting on the journey of technological transformation in the country.
Highlighting the mission’s impact over the past decade, PM Modi noted how India evolved from limited internet access in 2014 to becoming a global leader in digital technology by 2024. He emphasized that technology has played a key role in bridging the gap between the rich and the poor and has now become an integral part of everyday life for over 1.4 billion Indians.
Internet Growth and Connectivity Expansion
In 2014, India had around 250 million internet connections. Today, that number has surged to 970 million. The Prime Minister also highlighted how high-speed internet has reached even the most remote areas of the country, including Galwan and Siachen. He lauded India’s 5G rollout as the fastest in the world, with nearly 500,000 base stations installed within two years.
UPI and Direct Benefit Transfers
India’s success with the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has drawn global attention. The platform now handles over 100 billion transactions annually. Additionally, Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) have become a cornerstone of welfare delivery, with ₹44 lakh crore disbursed directly to beneficiaries, eliminating middlemen and saving the government around ₹3.5 lakh crore.
Boost to Digital Commerce and Governance
PM Modi pointed to platforms like ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) and GeM (Government e-Marketplace) as drivers of digital empowerment.
- ONDC recently crossed 200 million transactions, providing small businesses with access to large markets.
- GeM achieved sales worth over ₹1 lakh crore in just 50 days, enabling 22 lakh sellers, including 1.8 lakh women-led MSMEs, to fulfill government orders worth ₹46,000 crore.
Property Rights and Governance through Technology
Under the SVAMITVA scheme, over 2.4 crore property cards have been issued, and more than 600,000 villages have been digitally mapped. The scheme aims to give rural property owners legal ownership through advanced surveying technology.
Global Recognition of Indian Digital Platforms
Indian digital platforms such as Aadhaar, CoWIN, DigiLocker, and FASTag are now being studied and replicated globally.
- CoWIN played a critical role in managing the world’s largest vaccination drive by issuing 220 crore vaccination certificates.
- DigiLocker now stores over 775 crore documents for 54 crore users, simplifying access to essential records.
India’s Rise as a Startup and AI Powerhouse
PM Modi also underlined India’s emergence as one of the top three startup ecosystems globally, with over 1.8 lakh startups. The country is rapidly advancing in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) through the India AI Mission, backed by a $1.2 billion investment.
He shared that India has enabled access to 34,000 GPUs globally at less than $1 per GPU hour, making it not just the world’s most affordable digital economy, but also the most cost-effective computational hub.
Vision for the Future
Calling on innovators and entrepreneurs, PM Modi stated that the next decade will be even more transformative, as India continues to emerge as a reliable global digital partner. He emphasized the need to build technologies that empower people and strengthen India’s leadership in the digital world.
“Our journey has just begun. The next ten years will define how deeply technology can touch and transform every Indian’s life,” PM Modi wrote in his blog.