The Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-2012) of the Planning Commission of India set “inclusive growth” as one of its prime objectives. In keeping with the programme, the usage of mobile telephony was no longer limited to a communication tool – to make phone calls or to send and receive text and voice messages – but it evolved as the prime technology that helped bridge the rich-poor divide between urban and rural India.
The mobile telephone not only gave the socio-economically downtrodden villagers a voice by helping them reach out to fellow residents in distant villages, but has also provided several hundreds and thousands of youth with direct or indirect job opportunities. Ravi Ghate and his SMSOneproject is one such initiative that aimed at achieving this inclusivity.
Among the urban populace, the mobile telephone took over the role of an all-encompassing service provider – from banking transactions and educational information to train booking and infotainment. Couple these with activist initiatives and we have had unprecedented outcomes like uniting the country along issues like the Anti-Corruption Bill and the Nirbhaya case leading to an amendment of rape laws in a predominantly patriarchal society.
Last week, Prime Minister NarendraModi launched the Digital India Week (DIW) to “transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy”. An ambitious Rs 1,13,000 crore project, Modi wants it to provide an “intensified impetus for further momentum and progress for e-Governance and would promote inclusive growth that covers electronic services, products, devices, manufacturing and job opportunities”. The programme is being implemented in phases, from 2014 till 2018.
The list of digital applications and programmes that DIW entails — digital lockers to store documents, e-Sign using Aadhaar, e-Hospital systems, National Scholarship Portal, Centre of Excellence on Internet on Things (IoT) and a high-speed digital highway —aims to make government services efficient, easier to access and hassle-free.
But the hype and excitement among industrialists and other business professionals over this is over-rated, to say the least. What did the mobile governance (m-Governance as it is popularly referred to) not achieve over the past decade that Modi’s ‘Digital’ initiative will?
Even in 2007, farmers could instantly track updates on crop pricing or news of a seed or fertilizer delivery often a few towns away, over their non-smart mobile handset with the help of a simple text message in their vernacular language or even a dirt-cheap phone call. Accordingly, the farmers would plan their trips judiciously on a day when they are certain to benefit from and avoid wasting time and energy on a futile travel only to come back empty-handed.
Urban consumers who could afford a 3G mobile handset enabled with mobile internet,at extremely reasonable rates, had a veritable treat of immense possibilities opening up for them.The Department of Information Technology of the Government of India initiated the formulation of a comprehensive policy framework on mobile governance. It helped citizens to use their mobile phone connection to file for IT returns and pay for public services.
The government, in turn, used text messaging to make public announcements with regard to agriculture, health and administration,as well as simple chores like tracking the cleaning of garbage bins in particular corporations and municipalities. The multiple-access channels of SMS, GPS and GPRS helped in real-time monitoring. So much so that Bihar State Road Corporation, one of the most poorly-funded in the country, deployed GPS-enabled mobile phones to monitor road construction in the state.
The usage of mobile phone became so popular, that by 2010 India was reported to have the second largest number of mobile internet users in the world, only second to the US. This was because it was much more affordable to acquire a mobile handset, with internet connectivity, than a full-fledged computer system, especially in the not-so-affluent rural areas of the nation.
What Modi is trying to achieve is to bring all of these facilities together, organise them under one umbrella, namely DeitY (Department of Electronics and Information Technology), and present it to the world-stage as an original enterprise. Yes, he will do good to expedite the never-ending delay in laying down of the fibre optics network. His plan to implement Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System and the e-sign are also commendable (although Aadhaar isn’t really Modi’s brainchild), if it can be achieved as a foolproof measure. But his objective to cut down import of electronics by 2020 appears to be of little use.
Desktop computers have already made inroads into rural India, often via heavily-subsidised government schemes. The urban landscape will not be affected by locally-manufactured digital devices. Most Indians in cities rely on their much-evolved 4G-enabled mobile devices to access the internet. They have enough purchasing power to opt for the imported variety.
But then, Modi has always been a statesman with enviable marketing acumen. The DIW is just another of his diplomatic deals with industrialists who might invest in the expansion ofan already-existing digital infrastructure of the nation.
What India says about Digital India Week
Anil Ambani, Reliance Group:
“The Indian story, which had been driven by 3-Ds -- democracy, demographics and demand, now had a fourth 'D' (decisiveness). With Narendrabhai assuming charge as Prime Minister, we inaugurated a new era in our nation's history: of visionary and decisive leadership. Digital India, would add another unique dimension to that story.In other words, Digital India carries the signature of a leader whose name is synonymous with the transformational power of connectivity and communication”.
MukeshAmbani, Reliance Industries Limited:
“India is fortunate to have a Prime Minister who not only paints a comprehensive and compelling vision but has the personal leadership and drive to convert his vision to reality. It is my conviction, Prime Minister, under your leadership, the Digital India initiative will create a partnership among all sections of society... a partnership that will leverage the power of 1.2 billion Indians. A partnership built on the ability and industry of all our citizens.”
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Bharti Airtel
"Who better to lead this initiative than our own very popular and beloved Prime Minister, who is a digital native, perhaps a handful of leaders around the globe who understand and is comfortable with the technology. Who is an avid user of Facebook and Twitter and a person who has set a trend of selfies.”
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Aditya Birla Group:
"Digital India is a truly exciting possibility. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has articulated the whole vision, which reflects his clairvoyance and his futuristic thinking.”
Anil Agarwal, Vedanta Resources & Sterlite Technologies:
"Whenever the government has trusted the industry, it has performed whether it is telecom, pharma, power etc. I can assure you (Prime Minister) in the coming days if you will trust us we will succeed.”
Cyrus Mistry, Tata Group:
"I would like to congratulate the Prime Minister on digitally empowering the country."
Jyotsna Suri, FICCI:
"Digital India Week programme is an important milestone to engage with renewed energy to transform India's digital infrastructure for the next generation users and the unconnected. As the entire world is looking at India, it makes practical sense to launch such a grand programme which has the potential to catalyse the investment process in this high technology sector and simultaneously generate employment.”
Rahul Patwardhan, NIIT:
“Digital infrastructure being setup under Digital India will support Skill India by enabling mass scaling of skill development, using technology as a mass delivery mechanism.”
Prashant Singhalof Ernst and Young global telecommunications said knowledge, e-services and connectivity are a must for developing 'India of future'.
Anil Valluri,NetApp India and Saarc:
"Digital India's success would also be a function of the underlying technology infrastructure with data becoming the nucleus of this thrust."