Digital

Empowerment of
Citizen
Raktim Choudhury PGP 2015-17 (1501035)

Introduction
Digital India
A project launched by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to empower the
citizens of India and extend governance and services better through the use of
information technology.
The Digital India program has a
three point vision:
1. Infrastructure and utility to
every citizen
2. Governance and Services on
demand
3. Digital empowerment

of citizen
The first two agenda are an integral
part of the ultimate process to
empower every citizen of India.

Scope of
Empowerment

100% Internet Literacy of citizen across

India
Internet infrastructure to every citizen (Wi-Fi
connectivity in every Panchayat, school and
university)
Digitized resources to be made universally
accessible in Indian languages
All citizen entitlements, documents and
certificates to be made available on cloud
Private space on cloud for every individual
for easy portability of documents
Greater financial inclusion through instant
banking services to every individual via mobile
banking apps
Unique identification number for
seamless integration with all departments of
government

Key
The Government of India: All government departments are set to undergo
Stakeholders

digitization. This will lead to better integration among departments

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited: Tasked with laying the National Optical Fiber
Network which forms the backbone of the internet infrastructure
Unique Identification Authority of India: Responsible for collecting and
collating citizen information and creating the unique identification number for
each individual
National Informatics Centre: Will play the pivotal role in making information
and knowledge resources available online in Indian languages
Indian IT & Services Industry: Digital India program will need strong web
hosting platforms, user friendly applications and highly sophisticated security
systems to ensure data integrity. This will create a huge business for Indian IT
and services industry

Challenges

Achieving 100% internet literacy across

India is a serious challenge given that
computer literacy stands at less than 7%.
However a lot can be achieved if all the
panchayat members, government school
teachers and health workers are made
internet literate. These people, working at
grass roots, can help to cascade the
knowledge down to the rest of their
communities
Some people are against digitization of
citizen entitlements, documents and other
individual information. The concern is that it
might make the government more
authoritarian with increased public
surveillance and monitoring capabilities
without consent.
Another point of concern for many sceptics is
the laying of the National Optical Fiber
Network which is undertaken by BSNL. The

Thank You