True value of Digital India has been realised and witnessed: Industry leaders

The Digital India campaign, an initiative that was started by the Government of India to empower the country in the field of technology, completes five years today. Digital India was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to improve internet connectivity and increase digital literacy. The other objectives of the initiative are inclusive growth in areas of electronic services, products, manufacturing and job opportunities. On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of Digital India, Industry leaders from various domains share their thoughts on the GoI campaign.

Dharmender Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Birlasoft

The last 5 years of Digital India has witnessed many key milestones, and there are many more to come. Slowly and steadily, every industry has realised and witnessed the true value of digital. Today, digital is at the helm of every business; from legacy companies to start-ups to even smaller business segments; digital technologies are at the forefront of their business strategies. The Digital India initiative has inspired and boosted the digital ambition of the country.

Digital India helps us to envision the future which is more effective, efficient, fair, data-driven, and responsive to individual needs. India has led the way in this regard, by intentionally making its new digital infrastructure accessible for everyone. The necessary tools like internet connectivity, smartphones, robust network infrastructure, swift adoption of privacy norms, etc. allow people at all levels of the economy to be a part of the nation’s digital glory, and we at Birlasoft align with these digital thoughts and consider digital to be a driving force for the next wave of sustained growth.

Manjula Muthukrishnan, Managing Director, Avalara Technologies

We got to witness the power of Digital India during the COVID-19 lockdown when we all continued to work safely from homes, watched movies, made payments through mobile apps. Digital India made us adapt, evolve and become a tech-literate nation. Of course, this readiness came with its own set of resistance and is growing every day.

Ilica Chauhan, Vice President, PC Financial Services Private Limited

Congratulations to NaMo Government for 5 years of Digital India. In its infancy period itself, it rolled out various successful initiatives, Jandhan, DigiLockers, Digital payments & eKYC, BHIM, which already have a deep impact across various industries & segments of society. Digital payment per capita has witnessed significant growth in India, from 2.4 digital transactions per capita per annum to about 22 in five years. Further, the RBI and government aim for annualized per capita transaction volume to reach 220 by March 2021. A small example of our case is wherein 70% of our collections from tier 3/4 towns are via UPI mode only which shows the availability, acceptability of digital technology in the roots of India. I would commend DI programme with the way digital platforms are being modified to enable private players in supplying essential services to common people at such times.

Ashwani Rawat, Co-Founder, Transerve Technologies

The initiative which was started 5 years back by our Honourable PM played a significant role in the overall development of our country. Digital India campaign played a pivotal role in accelerating economic growth, promoting social and economic equity by enhancing access for all to information thus shortened the alarming issue of the digital divide. Digital India campaign helped India realize the ambition of creating a technologically advanced society that provided a golden opportunity to the youth of our country to come up with frugal innovations that help the society at large. Digital India program also gave an opportunity to the government at state and local levels to leverage the right mix of technology to improve the liveability of citizens. One can take the instance of ongoing pandemic and how emergent technologies like AI , GIS, IoT and location tracking helping businesses and citizens fighting this global issue. This is a well-proven example of how the digital India campaign is now been translated into actionable goals.

Krishnan Srinivasan, Global-CRO, FSS

We have been seeing a surge in the digital agenda than ever before. C19 has pushed us to rethink our normal, be it in business or day to day lives. Our Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan to support the Indian economy through businesses and other sectors is an evident fact of the modern and resilient India. Digital payment methods are a viable way forward to empower the society to transact seamlessly and drive the economy during these unprecedented times. The vision of Digital India has been a massive boost for financial inclusion as more Indians can choose how to pay and be paid, digitally. The proliferation in e-commerce and other sectors have propelled the growing adoption of the digital payments ecosystem. FSS has been working towards building advanced payment solutions that would enable the citizens to transact seamlessly and help merchants build their business aiding in nation development. We as a country have recognized the trend much in advance and have tried to keep pace with the fast-changing environment.

Sanjay Gupta, Vice President and India Country Manager, NXP Semiconductors

The Digital India initiative by the Government of India has helped immensely in further strengthening the foundation of digital services landscape in the country over the last five years. In fact, it is this foundation that has today equipped us better for the post-COVID world. As the health crisis prevails, the emergence of contact-less society is inevitable and will eventually become the new normal, making way for increased adoption of payments via digital channels such as UPI and the increasing surge of AI-enabled cloud-based technologies among businesses from across sectors. The pandemic is going to have a significant impact on how we live, and a digital world will help us embrace the new normal while ensuring that social distancing norms are adhered to.

Suresh Goyal, Co-founder, Bright tutee

We congratulate the government and all stakeholders in their foresightedness with the Digital India movement. It has led to many new industries emerging, including ours in ed-tech space. We expect this Digital India movement to be a key contributor in India's $5 Trillion Economy target.

Anil Nagar, CEO and founder, Adda247

In the past few years, we have seen a push in demand of digital learning. Internet penetration helped in bringing a large number of students online from tier 3 tier 4 belts as well. The Digital India Campaign by the Government of India has impacted the education system massively. Not only in the education sector but Digital India Campaign led to innovation in other sectors as well.

Kumar Vembu, CEO and Founder, GOFRUGAL

With digital, under-served people are enjoying better services. In many areas, digital technologies connect demand and supply at a lower cost than ever before. Digital is moving jobs to people and will help prevent congestion in urban centers. Without any doubt, digital increases productivity and promotes remote collaboration. Most importantly, digital improves the dignity of labor across the spectrum.

Ramesh Subbarao, Vice President- Portfolio, Pearson South Asia

Over the last few years, the education industry has witnessed a revolutionary shift to digital with technology integration.  This shift has reshaped the way students learn and teachers teach, going beyond the traditional way of rote learning towards concept-based learning. The government’s focus towards “Digital India and Skill India” over the last few years have enabled the digital transformation of the education sector, rapidly catalysed by the ongoing pandemic over the last three months. In fact according to some studies, COVID-19 and the nationwide lockdown has pushed us to take a leap towards digital learning, which would have otherwise manifested in the next 2-3 years. It has been our endeavour to unlock learning opportunities for learners as well as trainers through our world-class digital learning solutions.