Digital India
Also: Digital India programme, Digital India mission
Background and evolution
The programme also had an industrial side from the start. The goal of 'net zero imports' in electronics led to phased manufacturing programmes and later to production-linked incentives for mobile phones, which helped India become one of the world's largest mobile phone producers. In this sense Digital India links consumer access with a manufacturing strategy.
Before 2015, India's e-governance efforts were scattered. The National e-Governance Plan of 2006 created "mission mode projects" for services such as passports, income tax and land records, but connectivity in villages was poor, many services still required physical visits and documents, and citizens lacked digital skills. Digital India brought these efforts under a single programme with three goals: build connectivity, move services online and make citizens able to use them.
This page looks at Digital India as a programme of access and inclusion: wires, towers, service centres and literacy. The technical design of shared platforms such as Aadhaar, UPI and data exchanges is covered on the digital public infrastructure and Aadhaar pages. Here the question is whether ordinary citizens, especially in rural areas, can reach and use digital services, and what gaps remain.
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Last reviewed: 23 October 2026 · Original UPSCPrep.in content.