New Delhi: Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet, On Wednesday, approved a budget of ₹14,903 crores for the expansion of the Digital India programme. Launched on July 1, 2015, the Digital India initiative aims to enhance the delivery of digital services to citizens and has achieved considerable success.
This expansion encompasses various crucial developments. Firstly, it entails the re-skilling and up-skilling of 625,000 IT professionals through the FutureSkills Prime Program. Secondly, the Information Security & Education Awareness Phase (ISEA) Program is set to provide training in information security to 265,000 individuals.
Furthermore, the Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG) platform, which currently offers 1,700 services, will undergo augmentation by adding 540 new services. Simultaneously, the National Super Computer Mission will see an incorporation of 9 additional supercomputers, supplementing the existing 18.
In addition, the AI-driven multi-language translation tool, Bhashini, available in 10 languages, will extend its coverage to all 22 scheduled languages. The National Knowledge Network (NKN), connecting 1,787 educational institutions, will undergo modernization. The DigiLocker digital document verification service will be expanded to include MSMEs and other organizations.
Support for 1,200 startups situated in Tier 2/3 cities will also be a crucial facet of this expansion. Moreover, the plan involves establishing 3 Centers of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence, with a focus on health, agriculture, and sustainable cities.
To enhance cyber awareness, 120 million college students will have access to cyber-awareness courses. Additionally, pioneering strides in cyber security will be taken, including tool development and the integration of more than 200 sites with the National Cyber Coordination Centre.
In essence, this comprehensive expansion announcement holds the potential to positively impact India’s digital economy, foster greater access to digital services, and provide substantial support to the country’s IT and electronics ecosystem.