Digital India enables wider access to services since 2015: Govt

The government reports the Digital India program has boosted broadband subscribers from 25 crore to 103 crore and expanded mobile connectivity to nearly all villages since 2015, fostering wider access to digital services and equitable growth.

The government on Wednesday said that the Digital India program has enabled wider access to digital services and opportunities since its launch in 2015.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the program aims to increase access to the internet, provide affordable internet, digital public infrastructure, and enhance digital literacy. "The Government of India launched the Digital India programme in July 2015," the statement said, adding, "These efforts have collectively enabled wider access to digital services and opportunities, thereby fostering inclusive and equitable digital growth across the country."

Expanding Digital Infrastructure and Adoption

Broadband subscribers have increased from 25 crore in 2014-15 to 103 crore in 2024-25, while mobile base Transceiver stations (BTS) have grown from 7.9 lakh in 2014-15 to 29.50 lakh in 2024-25.

The statement added that nearly all villages in India now have mobile connectivity, reflecting the programme's wide reach. "Villages covered with mobile connectivity (2G/3G/4G) have increased to 6.35 lakh in 2024-25, an increase of about 20.5 per cent (near-universal coverage)," it noted.

The expansion of optical fibre networks and reduction in data costs have further accelerated digital adoption. "Optical fibre has expanded from 358 km to 6.92 lakh km, while data costs per GB have reduced by 97 per cent," the statement said.

The government also highlighted the surge in digital consumption. "Average monthly data consumption per subscriber has increased from 61.66 MB to around 25.25 GB," it added.

Success of Digital Public Infrastructure

On digital public infrastructure, the statement underlined the widespread use of Aadhaar and digital payment platforms.

Aadhaar and UPI Adoption

"More than 143 Cr Aadhar numbers have been issued, providing digital identity to Indian residents," it said. "India's UPI is now the world's largest digital payment system with more than 46 Cr users and 685 banks. UPI powers 81% of India's digital payments and nearly 49% of global real-time digital payments," the statement added.

Direct Benefit Transfers and Digital Services

Using Jan Dhan, Aadhar and Mobile (JAM) Trinity, subsidies and benefits worth Rs 49.82 lakh crore have been transferred directly to the citizens.

DigiLocker has provided digital access to authentic digital documents from the original issuer for the common citizen. Currently, 67 crore users are registered on the platform. More than 967 crore documents have been issued using DigiLocker.

UMANG mobile application for all government services is operational and offers more than 2,446 services. It has more than 10.51 Cr registered users, and more than 741 crore transactions have been carried out so far. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)