Digital India program enables wider access to internet, digital services: IT Ministry
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
Reader Comments
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.
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.
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!
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.
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! ✨
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