Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off 'Digital India'

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today flaged off his much ambitious ‘Digital India’ initiative, aiming to connect the entire country through broadband by 2019.

Charting the roadmap for the ‘Digital India’ scheme worth Rs 1,00, 000 crore, PM Modi announced a plethora of projects including initiatives on digital locker, Swachh Bharat Mission App, Aadhaar Mobile Update app, center of excellence on IoT, eHospitals, National Scholarship Portal, amongst many.

The initiative was launched in the presence of Telecom and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and top business leaders, including Mukesh Ambani.

Under this initiative, the government has developed e-hospital portal where major hospitals which include AIIMS, Ram Monohar Lohia Hospital, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences. According to reports, four institutes have been enrolled with e-hospital portal.

Another commendable initiative is digital locker which will eliminate the need for people to carry the hard copies of the certificates issued by states, municipal agencies, and other bodies. Birth certificates, school and college leaving certificates, residence and marriage proof, and even PAN cards will be digitized.

Other prominent initiative is ‘Digitize India Platform’ which aims at ensuring the government services are made available to citizens electronically by reducing paperwork. The initiative also includes plan to connect rural areas with high-speed internet networks.

Another much-talked initiative is Swachh Bharat Mission App where citizens can share pictures of unclean spots in their city and take the necessary action by inviting friends/co-workers for a cleanliness drive.