Recently, in a step towards promoting the digital economy of India, the Ministry for Electronics & Information Technology launched the ‘Digital Payments Utsav’. This comprehensive campaign is designed to boost digital payments across the country. Coinciding with this launch, several other significant initiatives were also introduced.
The campaign, set to run from 9th February to 9th October 2023, will highlight India’s journey of digital transformation through a series of events and initiatives. The spotlight will be on promoting digital payments, particularly in the cities of Lucknow, Pune, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, as part of the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) event.
Recognising Contributions to Digital Economy
During the event, 28 DigiDhan Awards were presented to top-performing banks, bankers, and fintech companies in various categories. These awards celebrate the exemplary contributions of these organisations to the digital payments space and the growth of the digital economy.
Further, the campaign aims to unite stakeholders including the government, industry, and citizens, to spur the growth of the digital economy. Through these initiatives, the use of the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) is expected to extend beyond India, connecting remote parts of the country and making UPI a global payment method.
Other Digital Initiatives Launched
Several other digital initiatives were introduced alongside the campaign to bolster India’s digital revolution. These include Digital India BHASHINI, an AI-led language translation platform, and Digital India GENESIS, a national deep-tech startup platform intended to support startups in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
In addition, the My Scheme service discovery platform was launched to provide a one-stop portal for discovering government schemes. Meri Pehchaan, a National Single Sign On (NSSO) for One Citizen Login, was also initiated.
Building Digital Transformation Projects
Another key initiative is the Digital Locker (DigiLocker), which aims at paperless governance by providing digital space for users for document verification and storage. This initiative is expected to place India as a leader in implementing digital transformation projects on a large scale.
Furthermore, the government has embarked upon MeghRaj, an ambitious initiative designed to utilise the benefits of Cloud Computing to expedite the delivery of e-services, while optimising the ICT spending of the government.
Global Expansion and Localization of UPI Services
Indiastack Global, a global repository of key projects implemented under India Stack, will soon make UPI services accessible to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) living in 10 countries including Australia, Canada, and Singapore among others.
Moreover, National Language Translation Mission and Digital Payments have teamed up to make UPI 123 Pay available in local languages, furthering accessibility and inclusivity of digital services.
Digital India Programme
Launched in 2015, Digital India Programme has been a major enabler for several essential government schemes like BharatNet, Make in India, Startup India, and Standup India. The vision areas of the programme include digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizen, governance and services on demand, and digital empowerment of citizens.
Its objectives aim at preparing India for a knowledge future and making technology central for enabling change. The programme envisions being transformative with a formula of IT (Indian Talent) + IT (Information Technology) equals to IT (India Tomorrow).
