(GIST OF KURUKSHETRA) The Success of Digital India in Rural India

(SEPTEMBER-2025)

The Success of Digital India in Rural India

Context:

India has undergone remarkable changes in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT). The shift from traditional to modern digital practices has touched nearly every citizen’s life. Successes are visible in financial inclusion, e-governance, startups, indigenous AI, digital education, and mobile manufacturing.

Three Key Revolutions:

Aadhaar revolution (unique identity and authentication system).
Communication revolution (Reliance Jio and affordable data).
Infrastructure revolution (fiber-optic networks, telecom towers, satellites).

Vision of Digital India:

Launched on 1 July 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His vision: “I dream of a Digital India where high-speed digital highways unite the country, 1.3 billion connected Indians are engaged in innovation, and technology ensures that communication between citizens and government cannot be corrupted.”

This statement emphasizes:

A strong IT ecosystem.
Digital highways (broadband, mobile, satellite).
Nationwide connectivity for every Indian.
Transparent and corruption-free governance.

Expansion of Digital Connectivity

BharatNet Project is backbone of rural digital connectivity. As of Jan 2025: 2,18,000 Gram Panchayats are connected to high-speed internet. 6,92,000 km of optical fibre laid.

Mobile Internet Penetration: Rapid expansion of 4G and 5G networks. 4.74 lakh 5G towers cover 99.6% of districts. Mobile internet is now accessible to 1.16 billion Indians.
Rural Internet Growth: 55% of India’s 886 million active internet users are rural. Rural growth rate in internet connectivity now faster than urban. Satellite services and fixed wireless access improving connectivity in remote areas.
National Broadband Mission 2.0: Bringing high-speed broadband to the remotest villages. Wi-Fi hotspots set up in panchayats. Networks upgraded for reliability (ring architecture).
Closing the Tele-density Gap: Earlier disparity between rural and urban phone connections is narrowing. Affordable smartphones and mobile penetration reaching even marginalized households.

Digital India and Innovation in Villages:-

Rise of Technological Innovation: Villages are now part of research in AI, Blockchain, IoT. Digital agriculture platforms offer farmers weather, market prices, and crop advisory. Telemedicine services provide rural healthcare access. E-governance tools deliver over 1,200 services (via UMANG app).
Language Empowerment: 60% of Indian internet content is now in regional languages. This enables wider access to digital tools for non-English speakers. Apps like WhatsApp helplines, crop registration apps, and market linkage tools bridge rural needs.

Concrete Village-Level Examples: Yakten (Sikkim): First digital nomad village; Wi-Fi in every home, hi-tech farming, digital education.
Akodara (Gujarat): India’s first digital village; 100% cashless transactions, mobile banking, CCTV in schools.
Harisal (Maharashtra): First smart village with Microsoft’s White-Fi technology.
Karnataka’s e-Sahmati: Farmers directly send crop info to retailers, cutting out middlemen.

Better Skills and Digital Education:

PMGDISHA (Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan): 6.39 crore rural citizens trained in digital literacy. At least one digitally literate person per household.
Education Technology: Online courses and exams accessible via CSCs. SWAYAM, National Digital Library, PM e-Vidya make digital education inclusive. Regional content (60% of internet in local languages) boosts rural student participation.
Mobile Penetration in Education: 94.2% of rural households have mobile phones. Digital learning apps widely used for schoolchildren, artisans, farmers, and SHGs.
Impact During COVID-19: Digital platforms ensured continuity of education. Remote learning became mainstream.

Employment Opportunities in Rural India:

Digital Economy Jobs: Customer service centers, BPOs, IT support, online sales now operating in rural towns. Reduced migration to cities as local opportunities grow.
UPI and Digital Payments: Monthly UPI transactions exceeded 10 billion in 2025. On 2 Aug 2025, record 70.7 crore transactions in one day. Boosts financial inclusion and convenience for small traders.
Gig Economy and New Careers: Rural youth entering careers in cloud computing, AI, cybersecurity. Freelancing and gig jobs create flexible employment opportunities.
Women’s Participation: Women now form 47% of internet users. Gender gap reduced to just 6%. Women content creators, entrepreneurs, and digital workers are flourishing.

Conclusion:

Favourable and visionary environment in IT and telecom sectors, increasing public-private investment, successful network of startups, huge number of skilled youth, fast-growing economy, presence of mature digital system, such factors can make India a global IT superpower. Just as China transformed itself into the world’s manufacturing factory, we can transform ourselves into an IT hub. If everything goes well, the current Tech Decade can prove to be the take-off of our global journey. The most important thing in achieving big results will be the comprehensiveness of these efforts, that is, the participation of our villages and rural population in the digital development journey. Digital India can become the pillar of this participation.