A Decade Of Digital Progress: India Sets Sights On Global Tech Leadership

As India marks ten years of its transformative ‘Digital India’ initiative, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the country’s readiness to transition from digital governance to a global leadership role in the digital domain.

This evolution, he noted, reflects the shift from ‘India-first’ to ‘India-for-the-world’.

PM Modi emphasised that Digital India has become far more than a government initiative—it’s now a nationwide movement.

In a post on LinkedIn, the Prime Minister posted, “It is central to building an ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, and to making India a trusted innovation partner to the world. To all innovators, entrepreneurs, and dreamers: the world is looking at India for the next digital breakthrough.”

Recalling the early days of the programme, the Prime Minister highlighted the bold step taken in 2014, challenging long-held doubts about India’s ability to embrace and benefit from technology.

“We changed this approach and trusted the ability of Indians to use technology,” PM Modi noted.

The Prime Minister further added, “While decades were spent thinking that the use of technology would deepen the gap between the haves and the have-nots, we changed this mindset and used technology to eliminate the gap between the haves and the have-nots. When the intent is right, innovation empowers the less empowered. When the approach is inclusive, technology brings change in the lives of those on the margins.”

Digital India was founded on the principles of inclusive access, digital infrastructure, and equal opportunity.

A decade ago, internet usage was sparse and digital literacy limited. Few could have imagined India’s vast and diverse population fully embracing a digital future.

“Today, that question has been answered not just in data and dashboards, but in the lives of 140 crore Indians. From how we govern, to how we learn, transact, and build, Digital India is everywhere,” PM Modi asserted.

In 2014, India had 25 crore internet users. That number has now surged to 97 crore.

With over 42 lakh kilometres of Optical Fibre Cable laid—11 times the Earth-Moon distance—even the remotest areas are digitally connected.

India’s 5G rollout, described as one of the fastest globally, boasts 4.81 lakh base stations installed within just two years.

From urban centres to remote border regions like Galwan and Siachen, high-speed internet is now widely accessible.

“High-speed internet now reaches urban hubs and forward military posts alike, including Galwan, Siachen, and Ladakh. India Stack, which is our digital backbone, has enabled platforms like UPI, which now handles 100+ billion transactions a year. Around half of all real-time digital transactions happen in India,” PM Modi emphasised.

Through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), over ₹44 lakh crore has reached citizens directly. This has cut out intermediaries and saved ₹3.48 lakh crore in leakages.

Programmes like SVAMITVA have delivered over 2.4 crore property cards and mapped more than 6.4 lakh villages, providing long-awaited clarity in land ownership.

Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have also gained from this digital wave.

Prime Minister noted, “GeM (Government e-Marketplace) enables the common man to sell goods and services to all arms of the government. This not only empowers the common man with a huge market but also saves money for the government.”

Platforms like ONDC and GeM offer expansive market access.

ONDC has surpassed 200 million transactions. Meanwhile, GeM crossed ₹1 lakh crore in Gross Merchandise Value within 50 days. It has empowered 22 lakh sellers, over 1.8 lakh of them women-led MSMEs.

India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)—including Aadhaar, CoWIN, DigiLocker, FASTag, PM-WANI, and One Nation One Subscription—is now a global model.

CoWIN enabled the world’s largest vaccine drive with 220 crore digital certificates. DigiLocker, with 54 crore users, securely stores over 775 crore documents.

“Through our G20 Presidency, India launched the Global DPI Repository and a $25 million Social Impact Fund, helping nations across Africa and South Asia adopt inclusive digital ecosystems,” Prime Minister Modi remarked.

He further added, “India now ranks among the top three startup ecosystems in the world, with over 1.8 lakh startups. But this is more than a startup movement; it is a tech renaissance. India is doing extremely well when it comes to AI skill penetration and AI talent concentration among our youth.”

“Through the $1.2 billion India AI Mission, India has enabled access to 34,000 GPUs at globally unmatched prices at less than $1/GPU hour, making India not just the most affordable internet economy, but also the most affordable compute destination. India has championed humanity-first AI,” said the Prime Minister.

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