India has significantly expanded digital inclusion over the past decade through wider internet access, affordable data services and the development of a robust digital public infrastructure, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha.
Presenting details of the Digital India programme, Ashwini Vaishnaw said the initiative launched in July 2015 under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to democratize technology and empower citizens by bridging the digital divide across the country.
According to the minister, the government has pursued a three pronged strategy to achieve inclusive digital growth. The strategy focuses on expanding internet access, making internet services affordable and building strong digital public infrastructure capable of delivering services at population scale.
Rapid Expansion Of Internet Access
India has witnessed a massive expansion in internet connectivity over the last decade. Data cited by the government shows that the number of internet connections in the country increased from about 25 crore in 2014 to around 103 crore by 2025.
This rapid growth has been driven by the nationwide expansion of 4G and 5G telecom networks, large scale deployment of optical fibre infrastructure and sustained investment in digital connectivity across rural and urban areas.
Officials noted that the expansion of telecommunications infrastructure has enabled millions of citizens, particularly in remote and underserved regions, to gain access to digital services, online education, financial services and e governance platforms.
Among The Lowest Data Tariffs Globally
Ashwini Vaishnaw also highlighted that India currently offers some of the lowest mobile data tariffs in the world, making digital services accessible to a much larger section of the population.
Available public data indicates that the approximate cost of one gigabyte of mobile data in India ranges between 0.08 and 0.10 US dollars, making it the lowest among several countries.
In comparison, the cost of one gigabyte of data in Bangladesh ranges between 0.23 and 0.34 dollars, in Nepal between 0.27 and 0.43 dollars and in Sri Lanka between 0.25 and 0.35 dollars.
Pakistan records data costs between 0.12 and 0.18 dollars per gigabyte, while France averages between 0.16 and 0.20 dollars.
The contrast is even more significant when compared with developed economies such as Germany where the cost of one gigabyte of data is about 2.14 dollars. The global average data tariff stands at approximately 2.59 dollars per gigabyte.
Officials noted that India’s telecom tariffs are about 25 times lower than the global average, making digital connectivity significantly more affordable for users.
The government attributes this affordability to reforms, policy transparency and increased competition within the telecom sector.
Building Digital Public Infrastructure
Alongside connectivity and affordability, the government has focused on building large scale digital public infrastructure capable of delivering digital services to hundreds of millions of citizens.
India has emerged as one of the few major economies that has successfully implemented digital public infrastructure systems at national scale.
The strength of India’s digital infrastructure was recently acknowledged during the AI Impact Summit where President of France Emmanuel Macron remarked that India has created a digital ecosystem that no other country has built.
Aadhaar As A Universal Digital Identity
A cornerstone of India’s digital public infrastructure is Aadhaar, the biometric based digital identity system.
More than 1.43 billion Aadhaar numbers have been issued, making it one of the largest digital identity programmes in the world.
The Aadhaar platform enables citizens to authenticate their identity digitally and access a wide range of government services, financial services and welfare benefits.
Through Aadhaar linked Direct Benefit Transfer systems, benefits from government welfare programmes are directly credited into the bank accounts of beneficiaries.
Currently, cash transfers under 328 government schemes implemented by 56 ministries are routed through the Direct Benefit Transfer system. This has significantly reduced the need for multiple documents and helped eliminate duplicate or fraudulent beneficiaries.
More than 16,600 crore Aadhaar based authentication transactions have been conducted by various organisations for delivery of public and private services.
In the state of West Bengal alone, more than 10.67 crore Aadhaar identities have been issued.
UPI Leading Digital Payments Revolution
Another major component of India’s digital public infrastructure is the Unified Payments Interface.
UPI has transformed digital payments by enabling real time bank to bank transactions through mobile applications.
The platform currently connects around 685 banks and serves more than 460 million users. It also supports transactions for approximately 6.5 crore merchants across the country.
UPI accounts for about 81 percent of India’s digital payment transactions and nearly 49 percent of all real time digital payment transactions globally, making it the largest digital payment ecosystem in the world.
The rapid growth of UPI has accelerated the shift toward a cashless economy and enabled seamless digital transactions for individuals, businesses and small merchants.
Inclusive Digital Growth
The combined impact of expanded connectivity, low data tariffs and scalable digital infrastructure has enabled inclusive digital growth in India.
Government officials stated that the Digital India programme has created opportunities for citizens to access digital services related to education, healthcare, financial inclusion and government welfare programmes.
Digital platforms have also supported the growth of start ups, e commerce and innovation driven sectors of the economy.
Safeguards For Public Safety And Order
Ashwini Vaishnaw also informed Parliament that both the central and state governments are empowered to temporarily suspend internet services in situations involving public emergencies or concerns related to public safety.
Such actions are taken in accordance with the Telecommunication Temporary Suspension of Services Rules 2024 and guidelines issued by the Supreme Court of India.
Officials said these provisions are intended to ensure that digital services continue to operate responsibly while safeguarding public order and national security when required.
The government emphasised that the Digital India programme will continue to expand digital connectivity and strengthen digital public infrastructure to ensure that technology benefits all sections of society.
