Digital India initiative touched lives, ushered in new era of empowerment: Modi

PRime government minister Narendra Modi on mon said republic of bharat has made strides in digital payments o'er 10 years of the Digital India initiative launched in 2015 to improve governance and make technology more accessible.“A decade later, we stand witness to a journey that has touched countless lives and ushered in a new era of empowerment. India has made many strides in digital payments, powered by the collective resolve of 140 crore Indians,” Modi wrote on X.In a LinkedIn post, Modi cited the increase in internet connections. “In 2014, India had around 25 crore internet connections. Today, that number has grown to over 97 crores.” Modi said the next decade will be even more transformative. “We are moving from digital governance to global digital leadership, from India-first to India-for-the-world.”He shared a MyGovIndia post thread on X, outlining milestones under the Digital India initiative, including rapid 5G rollout, widespread digital payments, and expansion of internet access. “Whether it’s a remote village or a rising startup, Digital India is unlocking opportunity everywhere.”The post said 5G services now cover 95% of India’s population, making it one of the fastest rollouts. India offers one of the world’s most affordable internet, with data priced below ₹10 per GB, less than China’s ₹32 per GB and South Africa’s ₹151 per GB, the post said. It added that India has become “the heartbeat of the world’s digital payment systems,” as it now accounts for 50% of the world’s real-time digital payments, processing billions of transactions every month.The post said the number of Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts now exceeds the population of most major countries. Over 780 million ABHA accounts have been created so far, laying the foundation for one of the world’s largest digital health ecosystems.The post noted that over 42 lakh kilometres of optical fibre have been laid across the country, which is 11 times the distance between Earth and the Moon, under initiatives like BharatNet to support connectivity.As per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India data, India has over 1.16 billion mobile connections, with additions of nearly 2 million wireless subscriptions in May alone.In digital commerce, over 700,000 sellers have joined the government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce within two years, enabling participation from kirana stores, artisans, and small businesses, said the post.