Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reflected on the decade-long journey of the Digital India initiative, launched to democratize technology access and promote inclusive digital development. In a LinkedIn post titled “A Decade of Digital India,” Modi emphasized that the government chose to trust citizens’ tech abilities, shifting from a past of skepticism to one of empowerment.
Since 2014, India has witnessed a massive digital revolution. Internet connections have skyrocketed from 250 million to over 970 million. More than 42 million kilometers of optical fiber have been laid, reaching even the remotest villages and military outposts in places like Ladakh and Siachen. India has also executed one of the world’s fastest 5G deployments, with 481,000 base stations set up in just two years.
Modi credited India’s digital backbone—India Stack—for supporting innovations like the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which now processes more than 100 billion transactions annually. Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) worth over $528 billion have directly reached citizens, saving nearly $42 billion in leakages. Meanwhile, over 2.4 million property ownership cards have been distributed via the SVAMITVA scheme, transforming land rights in rural areas.
He lauded platforms like ONDC and GeM, which empower small businesses and entrepreneurs. ONDC recently passed 200 million transactions, while GeM hit $12 billion in Gross Merchandise Value, with over 220,000 sellers, including 180,000 women-led MSMEs.
India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)—which includes Aadhaar, CoWIN, DigiLocker, FASTag, and PM-WANI—has been globally recognized. CoWIN issued 2.2 billion vaccination certificates, while DigiLocker supports over 775 million documents for 540 million users.
Modi noted India’s rise as a startup powerhouse with over 180,000 startups. The $1.2 billion India AI Mission provides 34,000 GPUs at less than $1 per hour, helping India become a hub for affordable compute power and AI development.
Looking ahead, Modi envisions Digital India evolving into a global digital leader. He urged innovators and entrepreneurs to continue building technology that is inclusive, impactful, and unifying for the world.
