NewKerala.com

Digital India's 9-Year Impact: Internet Access Soars, Data Costs Plummet 97%

The Digital India program, launched in 2015, has dramatically expanded internet and mobile connectivity across the country. Key achievements include a massive increase in broadband subscribers, a 97% reduction in data costs, and near-universal mobile coverage for villages. The initiative has also driven the adoption of digital public infrastructure, with Aadhaar providing identity to billions and UPI becoming the world's largest digital payment platform. Services like DigiLocker and UMANG have further digitized citizen access to documents and government services.

Key Points: Digital India: Internet Access & UPI Growth Since 2015

  • Broadband users up 312% since 2014-15
  • Data cost per GB reduced by 97%
  • UPI is world's largest digital payment system
  • Aadhaar issued to over 143 crore residents
  • Mobile coverage reaches near-universal village access
2 min read

Digital India program enables wider access to internet, digital services: IT Ministry

Digital India program boosts broadband users to 103 crore, cuts data costs by 97%, and powers UPI as world's largest payment system.

"These efforts have collectively enabled wider access to digital services and opportunities, thereby fostering inclusive and equitable digital growth across the country. - Ministry of Electronics and IT"

New Delhi, March 18

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."

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.

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

"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.

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

Share this article:

Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
The numbers are impressive, no doubt. But in my village in Bihar, the 4G signal is still very weak. Universal coverage sounds good on paper, but the quality of service needs equal focus. Hope the next phase addresses this.
A
Arjun K
UPI becoming the world's largest digital payment system is a massive achievement we should all be proud of. It's now part of our daily *chai-pani* transactions. The direct benefit transfer saving lakhs of crores from leakage is the real success story.
S
Sarah B
As someone who moved here for work, the digital infrastructure is astonishing. Getting an Aadhaar, setting up bank accounts, and using UMANG for visa-related queries was surprisingly smooth compared to many developed countries. Well done!
K
Karthik V
While the expansion is great, we must not forget digital literacy for our elders. My parents struggle with UPI apps. The government and tech companies should run more *offline* workshops in regional languages to truly make it inclusive.
M
Meera T
From 61 MB to 25 GB per user! That stat alone shows how deeply digital has entered our lives. Online classes for kids, work from home, streaming movies – all possible because of this backbone. Jai Digital India! ✨

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50