New Delhi: The cabinet on Wednesday cleared the government’s blueprint for Digital India, as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech last week. The plan will be implemented in stages and ultimately connect the remotest parts of the country. It will serve as a medium for providing healthcare and education. And it is envisaged as a governance tool that will allow people to easily access government facilities, fill forms, submit applications, and even register births and deaths. “Youth belonging to the IT (information technology) profession have paved the way for establishing India’s new identity in the world. Digital India is our dream for the nation. When I say digital India, it is not meant for the rich but for those who are poor,” Modi said in first speech as Prime Minister. “E-governance is easy governance, effective governance and also economic governance.” The government is already working on the Rs.20,000 crore National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) that aims to connect all 250,000 gram panchayats (or local administrative bodies at the village level) in the country with high-speed broadband by 2017. To be sure, this was the brainchild of the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. After taking charge of the country in late May, the National Democratic Alliance headed by Modi has sought to explore how best this network can be used. On 7 August, Modi held a meeting on the design of Digital India, the sweeping programme that encompasses all citizen-focused digital initiatives. The programme has been envisaged by the department of electronics and information technology. It will be funded through budgetary provisions of respective ministries in the Union or state governments. The umbrella programme will restructure and synchronize existing schemes and also involve public-private partnerships wherever possible. Read more at: livemint/Politics/pFjPgp3wyb8FocoS0mlJ3H/NDA-unveils-plan-for-Digital-India.html?utm_source=copy
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 05:53:12 +0000
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