Lok Sabha Question No. 2782 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-20
Subject: Expansion of Digital India Programme
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Sanjay Seth

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2782

TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2023

## EXPANSION OF DIGITAL INDIA PROGRAMME

## 2782.   SHRI SANJAY SETH:

Will  the  Minister  of  ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be  pleased  to state:

- (a) whether the Government has approved expansion of Digital India Programme;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  estimated  cost  of  the  project,  State/UT-wise including Punjab;
- (c) whether this programme would help in the expansion of skilling of IT professionals and promote cyber security, if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether  it  is  also  proposed  to  extend  digital  locker  app  of  MSMEs  also  and  if  so,  the details thereof;
- (e) the details of the likely benefits to accrue to the people through the expansion of the Digital India Programme along with various Government services and facilities available on the digital platform; and
- (f) the  other  measures  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  vastly  improve  and  expand  the digital imprint in each and every part of the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR)

(a): Yes Sir.

(b): Government has launched the Digital India programme with the vision of transforming India into a digitally empowered society and a knowledge-based economy, by ensuring digital access, digital inclusion, digital empowerment and bridging the digital divide. The programme is  centred  on  three  key  vision  areas,  namely  digital  infrastructure  as  a  core  utility  to  every citizen, governance and services on demand, and digital empowerment of citizens. The overall goal  is  to  ensure  that  digital  technologies  improve  the  life  of  every  citizen,  expand  India's digital  economy,  and  create  investment  and  employment  opportunities.  Digital  India  has considerably bridged the distance between the Government and citizens and enhanced trust on government  and  governance.  It  has  also  helped  in  the  delivery  of  services  directly  to beneficiaries in a transparent and corruption-free manner. In the process, India has emerged as one  of  the  pre-eminent  nations  of  the  world  to  use  technology  to  transform  the  lives  of  its citizens.

In  August  2023,  the  Government  approved  the  expansion/  extension  of  the  Digital  India programme  with  a  total  outlay  of  ₹14,903.25  crore  during  the  period  of  the  15 th Finance Commission  i.e.,  2021-22  to  2025-26.  There  are  8  sub-schemes  under  the  Digital  India programme.  Details  of  the  schemes  with  outlay  is annexed. These  sub-schemes  are  Central Sector Schemes, no State/UT-wise allocation is made.

(c): The capacity building and skill development scheme within the Digital India programme covers  the  FutureSkillsPRIME  programme  for  re-skilling/  upskilling  of  IT  manpower  for employability that is being implemented in partnership with industry dealing with future-ready and industry-ready technologies. Similarly, the Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA) programmeis for generating human resources in the area of information security and creating mass awareness on a national scale, covering various stakeholders.

(d): The DigiLocker platform has been initiated by MeitY as a cloud-based platform to the residents  for  the  issuance  and  verification  of  documents  and  certificates  digitally.  The DigiLocker service is being extended as Entity Locker to MSME enterprises, corporate entities, organizations, and other non-individual agencies for easy access and verification of important documents and certificates in a secure and paperless manner, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.

(e): The  main  benefits  of  the  expansion/  extension  of  the  Digital  India  programme  are  as follows:

- (i) Ensuring  the  availability  of  trained  human  resources  for  the  manufacturing  and service sectors of the electronics and IT industry.
- (ii) Empowering  citizens  digitally  through  digital  public  infrastructure/  platforms  and digital inclusion.
- (iii) Providing high speed connectivity to academic and research institutes and Government institutions.
- (iv) Promoting  the  development  of  manufacturing  capabilities  and  Atma  Nirbharata  in electronics and IT hardware.
- (v) Promoting the creation of a sustainable software industry leveraging India's strength in the IT sector, disruptive innovations, and cutting-edge technology.
- (vi) Promoting research in  core and  applied areas including Supercomputing, Quantum Technology, Blockchain and Artificial intelligence, etc.
- (vii) Creating near real-time cyber security situational awareness at the national level for enhancing cyber security in the country.

(viii) Promoting digital payments and transparency in transactions.

Some  of  the  major  facilities  available  on  the  digital  platform  include  Aadhaar  (Digital Identity), Unified Payment Interface (Digital Payment), DigiLocker (Paperless Governance), UMANG  (Mobile  Governance),  API  Setu  (Data Exchange),  CoWin (Vaccination  Platform),  Government  e-Market  Place  (Public  Procurement),  DIKSHA (Digital Education), E-Sanjeevani (Digital Healthcare), etc.

(f):    Apart  from  the  schemes  under  the  Digital  India  programme,  the  Government  is implementing  various  schemes  to  augment  production,  employment  and  promote  Atma Nirbharata through the PLI Scheme for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing, PLI Scheme 2.0  for  IT  Hardware,  Scheme  for  Promotion  of  Manufacturing  of  Electronic  Components (SPECS), Electronic Manufacturing Clusters 2.0, India Semiconductor Mission including the Development of Semiconductors & Display Fab Manufacturing Ecosystem, etc. The National Institute  of  Electronics  &  Information  Technology  (NIELIT)  will  expand  the  scope  of skilling/  re-skilling  through  the  opening of new centres/ extension centres. These initiatives will improve the digital footprint and expand the size of digital economy in India.

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The scheme-wise break-up of approved outlay for 5 years i.e., FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26under the Digital India Programme is as under:

| Sl. No.       | Name of sub-scheme                                                            | Approved outlay for 5 years (in ₹ crore)   |
|---------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|
| 1.            | Capacity Building &Skill Development                                          | 2,858.00                                   |
| 2.            | Electronic Governance                                                         | 2,328.27                                   |
| 3.            | National Knowledge Network (NKN)                                              | 1,645.52                                   |
| 4.            | Promotion of Electronics &IT Hardware Manufacturing                           | 628.10                                     |
| 5.            | Promotion of IT &ITeS Industries                                              | 828.00                                     |
| 6.            | R&D in IT, Electronics & Convergence, Communications & Broadband Technologies | 4,431.46                                   |
| 7.            | Cyber Security Projects (National Cyber Coordination Centre &Others)          | 2,034.00                                   |
| 8.            | Promotion of Digital Payments #                                               | 149.90                                     |
| Total Outlay: | Total Outlay:                                                                 | 14,903.25                                  |

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