Digital India
Digital India – Complete GK Capsule for Railway Exams
1. Introduction
Digital India is a flagship programme of the Government of India launched to transform the country into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
2. Launch & Vision
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Launched on | 1 July 2015 |
| Launched by | Prime Minister Narendra Modi |
| Launch venue | Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Delhi |
| Vision tagline | “Power to Empower” |
| Ministry | Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) |
| Estimated Outlay | ₹1,13,000 crore (~US $18 bn) |
3. Three Core Vision Areas
- Digital Infrastructure as a Utility to Every Citizen
- Governance & Services on Demand
- Digital Empowerment of Citizens
4. 9 Pillars of Digital India
| Pillar | Key Objective / Scheme |
|---|---|
| 1. Broadband Highways | BharatNet (NOFN) – 2.5 lakh GPs |
| 2. Universal Access to Phones | 100% mobile connectivity in villages |
| 3. Public Internet Access | Common Service Centres (CSCs) |
| 4. e-Governance | e-Kranti, e-Taal, e-Sampark |
| 5. e-Kranti | 44 Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) |
| 6. Information for All | MyGov, Open Data Platform |
| 7. Electronics Manufacturing | Target net-zero imports by 2026 |
| 8. IT for Jobs | Skill India, BPO promotion in NE |
| 9. Early Harvest Programmes | e-Hospital, e-Sign, Jeevan Pramaan |
5. Flagship Schemes under Digital India
| Scheme / Platform | Purpose / Fact |
|---|---|
| BharatNet | World’s largest rural broadband project – 8.0 lakh km OFC laid (as of Jan 2024) |
| DigiLocker | 16+ crore users, 5.5+ billion documents issued (Feb 2024) |
| UMANG | 1000+ services, 25 crore downloads |
| BHIM UPI | 14+ bn transactions/month (Apr 2024), NPCI product |
| Aadhaar | 139 crore enrolments (99.9% adults) |
| CSCs | 6.0 lakh centres, 3.5 lakh in villages, 4.5 lakh VLEs |
| **Digital Payment Index | RBI-DPI reached 395.5 (Mar 2024) vs 100 (Mar 2018) |
6. Important Dates & Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1 Jul 2015 | Digital India launched |
| 25 Sep 2015 | Digital India Week observed |
| 28 Feb 2016 | JAM Trinity operational (Jan-Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile) |
| 30 Dec 2016 | BHIM App released |
| 14 Aug 2020 | Digital India Summit held virtually |
| 2021 | 6th anniversary – theme “Power to Empower” |
| 2023 | India Stack Global recognised by IMF |
7. Key Organisations & Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Full Form & Role |
|---|---|
| MeitY | Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology |
| NIC | National Informatics Centre – tech backbone |
| STPI | Software Technology Parks of India |
| CDAC | Centre for Development of Advanced Computing |
| NIXI | National Internet Exchange of India |
| NeGD | National e-Governance Division |
| UIDAI | Unique Identification Authority of India |
8. Milestones & Records
- India has lowest mobile data cost globally: ₹11 per GB (2023).
- UPI crossed 100 billion transactions in 2023.
- DigiLocker saved ₹24,000 crore in paper costs (MeitY estimate).
- India Stack – Aadhaar, e-KYC, e-Sign, UPI, DigiLocker – adopted by 15+ nations.
- BharatNet covers 1.85 lakh gram panchayats with 100 Mbps fibre (Dec 2023).
9. Quick-Fire One-Liners (Revision)
- Digital India launched by PM Modi on 1 July 2015.
- BharatNet aims to connect 2.5 lakh GPs with broadband.
- DigiLocker offers 1 GB free cloud space per Aadhaar holder.
- BHIM = Bharat Interface for Money; developed by NPCI.
- UMANG stands for Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance.
- Digital India has 9 pillars & 3 vision areas.
- CSC 2.0 target: 2.5 lakh GPs with at least one CSC.
- e-Hospital provides OPD appointment & lab reports online.
- e-Sign is an online electronic signature service.
- India’s digital economy projected to touch $1 trillion by 2028.
15+ Railway-Style MCQs on Digital India
Q1. Digital India programme was launched on which date?
Ans. 1 July 2015
Q2. Who launched the Digital India initiative?
Ans. Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Q3. What is the full form of BHIM?
Ans. Bharat Interface for Money
Q4. Which ministry is the nodal agency for Digital India?
Ans. Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY)
Q5. BharatNet project was earlier known as?
Ans. National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN)
Q6. How many pillars are there under Digital India?
Ans. 9
Q7. What is the storage limit provided free in DigiLocker?
Ans. 1 GB
Q8. Which app integrates all digi-services and is called “Super-App”?
Ans. UMANG
Q9. The target of BharatNet is to connect how many Gram Panchayats?
Ans. 2.5 lakh
Q10. Which organisation developed the BHIM UPI?
Ans. NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India)
Q11. Digital India aims to achieve net-zero electronics imports by which year?
Ans. 2026
Q12. What is the full form of CSC?
Ans. Common Service Centre
Q13. JAM Trinity refers to Jan-Dhan, Aadhaar and _____?
Ans. Mobile
Q14. Which Digital India service provides digital life certificates for pensioners?
Ans. Jeevan Pramaan
Q15. India’s Digital Payment Index is released by which regulator?
Ans. Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
Q16. What was the base year for RBI’s Digital Payment Index?
Ans. March 2018 (Index = 100)
Q17. Which state became the first to connect all its gram panchayats under BharatNet?
Ans. Kerala
Revise tables & one-liners daily; practice MCQs in 2-minute drills to boost speed in Railway CBTs.
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