Monday, 15 Sep, 2025
Source Digital India
What began in 2015 as an effort to digitise governance has now become a daily part of how India functions. From welfare delivery to financial inclusion, Digital India has reshaped the citizen-state relationship in unprecedented ways.
On June 30, 2025, India marked a decade since the launch of the Digital India mission—a landmark initiative introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 to harness technology for transforming governance and empowering citizens. What began as an effort to bridge the digital divide has since evolved into a nationwide movement that has reshaped public service delivery, brought millions online, and redefined inclusion in the digital era.
In a recent blog post titled “A Decade of Digital India”, Prime Minister Modi emphasised that the initiative is no longer just a government programme but a “people’s movement.” The Prime Minister noted that India, once limited in digital access and services, now stands as a global leader in digital transformation.
From 2014 to 2024, India witnessed a staggering jump in internet connectivity—from around 25 crore users to nearly 97 crore. The nation laid over 42 lakh kilometres of Optical Fibre Cable—11 times the distance between Earth and the Moon—reaching even the most remote locations, including forward military posts in Galwan, Siachen, and Ladakh. The BharatNet project, a flagship component of Digital India, has so far connected over 2.18 lakh Gram Panchayats with high-speed broadband. By January 2025, nearly 6.92 lakh kilometres of fibre optic cables had been laid, aiming to bring digital governance and utility services to over six lakh villages.
Telecom and Internet Penetration
India’s digital backbone also grew in terms of telephone coverage. Between March 2014 and April 2025, total telephone connections rose from 93.3 crore to over 120 crore, while tele-density climbed from 75.23% to 84.49%. Rural connections, in particular, increased from 377.78 million to 527.34 million, showcasing how digital inclusion has extended beyond urban centres. The country’s mobile internet landscape witnessed a 285% growth in internet users and a 1452% rise in broadband connections over the decade. From just 6.1 crore broadband users in 2014, India now has nearly 95 crore by August 2024.
India has demonstrated remarkable speed in rolling out 5G infrastructure. Launched in October 2022, the network reached 99.6% of the country’s districts within just 22 months, with over 4.74 lakh towers installed. In 2023–24 alone, 2.95 lakh towers were added, enabling faster digital services and supporting over 116 crore mobile users.
Digital Finance and Inclusion
One of the most celebrated success stories of Digital India is the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). In April 2025 alone, UPI processed 1,867.7 crore transactions worth ₹24.77 lakh crore. With over 460 million users and 65 million merchants, UPI has enabled a seamless, secure, and inclusive digital payments ecosystem. India handled 49% of all global real-time digital transactions in 2023, according to the ACI Worldwide Report 2024, with UPI now live in over seven countries, further expanding India’s influence in global fintech.
Digital India also revolutionised welfare delivery through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. Since its implementation, over ₹44 lakh crore has been transferred directly to beneficiaries, cutting out intermediaries and saving the government approximately ₹3.48 lakh crore. The system has enabled unprecedented transparency. Over 5.87 crore ineligible ration cards and 4.23 crore duplicate LPG connections were eliminated, making welfare schemes more targeted and accountable.
The Aadhaar platform has played a pivotal role in enabling secure and simplified services through its biometric-based e-KYC system. As of April 2025, 142 crore Aadhaar IDs have been generated. The platform continues to serve as the cornerstone of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), facilitating financial inclusion and efficient governance.
Public Platforms: Bringing Government to Citizens’ Fingertips
Multiple public platforms have made essential services more accessible to citizens. Launched in 2015, DigiLocker now boasts over 53.92 crore users, offering secure access to more than 775 crore digital documents. The platform’s user base exploded from just 9.98 lakh in 2015 to 2031.99 lakh new users in 2024 alone. Meanwhile, the UMANG app, launched in 2017, integrates over 2,300 services from Central, State, and Local governments in 23 Indian languages. By June 2025, it had recorded 597 crore transactions and 8.34 crore user registrations.
The CoWIN platform played a crucial role in administering and managing India’s vaccination campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic. The platform successfully issued 220 crore certificates, establishing India’s ability to scale digital health infrastructure quickly and effectively. Another successful public platform is FASTag, which has helped digitize toll collection and reduce travel time, bringing convenience and efficiency to road transport users nationwide.
The Mission Karmayogi platform, under Karmayogi Bharat + iGOT, has brought digital learning to the heart of India’s bureaucracy. By May 2025, over 1.21 crore officials had been onboarded, with 2,588 courses and 3.24 crore certificates issued. This e-learning transformation is equipping government personnel with the attitudes, skills, and knowledge (ASK) required to serve citizens better.
In just ten years, Digital India has brought transformative change—from connecting remote villages with high-speed internet to simplifying public service delivery and financial inclusion. Government benefits reach the intended recipients with minimal leakages, and citizens across socioeconomic strata now participate in a digital-first economy.
But this is only one side of the story. In Part 2, we will explore how India is preparing for the future—with platforms like ONDC, strategic investments in AI, and the rise of India’s digital economy—positioning the country as an emerging force in the global digital landscape.
