Indian Political CompassGovernment Scheme · Active
Digital India Programme
An umbrella programme to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy through broadband infrastructure, digital literacy, and e-governance.
What it does
Digital India is not a single scheme but a set of nine pillars: broadband highways, universal mobile connectivity, public internet access, e-governance, e-Kranti (electronic delivery of services), information for all, electronics manufacturing, IT for jobs, and early harvest programmes. Key components include BharatNet (optical fibre to village panchayats), CSCs (Common Service Centres for digital access), DigiLocker, and the Digital Locker for government documents.
Who it covers
The programme's benefits are targeted at rural and semi-urban populations for digital access, government departments for e-governance, and students for digital literacy (PMGDISHA scheme).
Funding
No single budget head. Includes BharatNet (Rs 61,109 crore approved through 2025), PMGDISHA (Rs 2,351 crore), and multiple ministry-specific allocations. Total programme budget exceeds Rs 1 lakh crore across all components.
Scale
Over 600,000 km of optical fibre laid under BharatNet. Over 5 lakh Common Service Centres operational. India's internet user base grew from approximately 250 million in 2015 to over 850 million by 2024.
Criticism and debate
BharatNet timelines have slipped multiple times; last-mile connectivity to households remains incomplete in many areas. The programme has been criticised for conflating unrelated schemes under a single brand without coherent coordination. Data privacy frameworks have not kept pace with the expansion of digital government services. Critics of Aadhaar-linked services argue mandatory digitisation excludes people without connectivity or digital literacy.
Related schemes
Content is editorial draft pending verification against official scheme guidelines, ministry press releases, and independent evaluations. Last reviewed: 2026-07-02.