A decade ago, few could have imagined the scale and speed of India’s digital transformation. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘Digital India’ mission in 2015, it was seen as an ambitious step toward bridging the country’s deep digital divide. Ten years on, the journey has surpassed expectations. With the initiative now celebrating its 10th anniversary, PM Modi declared it “the beginning of a new era of empowerment”, heralding the next decade as one of “global digital leadership”.
What began as a government initiative to improve connectivity and transparency has now evolved into a people-powered movement, reshaping governance, inclusion, and innovation at every level of Indian society.
From Connectivity to Digital Confidence
At its core, Digital India sought to democratize access to technology, and its progress is staggering. In 2014, India had around 25 crore internet connections; today, that number has crossed 97 crores, thanks to a vast web of 42 lakh kilometers of optical fiber that now reaches even the most remote corners of the country.
This connectivity revolution laid the groundwork for countless other transformations — from fintech and e-governance to AI and digital entrepreneurship.
Perhaps the most symbolic marker of this progress is India’s record-breaking 5G rollout, which PM Modi proudly describes as the fastest in the world. In just two years, 4.81 lakh base stations have been deployed, providing high-speed connectivity not only in bustling cities but also in strategic and remote military zones like Galwan, Siachen, and Ladakh.
Trusting the People, Transforming the System
PM Modi highlighted a mindset shift that underpinned the Digital India revolution: “We trusted the ability of Indians to use technology.”
For decades, there was fear that digitization might worsen inequality, but India flipped the script — using technology to close gaps, not widen them. The principle was simple: When intention is right and innovation is inclusive, transformation follows.
This belief led to the development of one of India’s proudest digital exports — the India Stack, a digital public infrastructure built on Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker, and more. Today, UPI handles over 100 billion transactions annually, with India accounting for nearly half of all real-time digital payments worldwide.
Even beyond payments, this infrastructure enabled a sea of changes. Through Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT), the government has transferred over ₹44 lakh crore directly to beneficiaries, eliminating middlemen and saving a staggering ₹3.48 lakh crore in leakages.
Empowering the Margins, Fueling Innovation
One of the most transformative outcomes of Digital India has been its role in empowering small entrepreneurs, MSMEs, and rural citizens.
The Swamitva Scheme has issued 2.4 crore property cards and mapped over 6.47 lakh villages, giving rural landowners long-overdue ownership rights. Initiatives like the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) are creating open, fair, and accessible platforms for small sellers to reach nationwide buyers, including government departments.
In short, India’s digital economy is no longer just about IT hubs or big tech — it’s about rural artisans, women entrepreneurs, and gig workers thriving in a new ecosystem of opportunity.
Going Global: From India-First to India-for-the-World
Today, India’s digital public infrastructure is not just local — it’s global. Tools like CoWIN, which powered the world’s largest COVID-19 vaccination drive, are now being replicated worldwide. Platforms like DigiLocker, with 54 crore users and 775 crore documents, are setting new global benchmarks for digital governance.
Under its G20 Presidency, India also launched the Global DPI Repository and a $25 million Social Impact Fund, helping developing nations adopt inclusive digital frameworks.
A Tech Renaissance: Startups, AI, and the Future
India is now among the top three startup ecosystems in the world, with over 1.8 lakh startups, spanning sectors from agriculture to deep tech. As PM Modi notes, this isn’t just a startup boom — it’s a tech renaissance, driven by youthful energy and boundless innovation.
The $1.2 billion India AI Mission exemplifies this future-forward thinking. It offers access to 34,000 GPUs at less than $1/hour, making India not only the cheapest computing destination in the world but also a hub for “Humanity-First AI” — ethical, accessible, and inclusive.
The Road Ahead — Empowering a Digital World
As India marks 10 years of Digital India, its journey is not just one of achievement but of vision, trust, and transformation. From ensuring digital access in Himalayan outposts to pioneering platforms used by billions, India has rewritten the rules of how technology can serve society.
In PM Modi’s words, this is only the beginning. With the world now looking to India for the next digital breakthrough, the country stands poised not just to lead — but to empower the global digital future.
(With agency inputs)
