In a significant development, the Cabinet gave its nod on Wednesday for the expansion of the Digital India initiative, allocating a substantial budget of INR 14,903 crore, as stated by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. According to the minister, the extended phase of the Digital India project will build upon the achievements of its preceding iteration. "During the cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister granted approval for the Digital India program, with a substantial budget of INR 14,903 crore," revealed Vaishnaw.
As part of this endeavour, a commendable 5.25 lakh IT professionals are set to undergo reskilling and upskilling, while an additional 2.65 lakh individuals will receive training in the field of IT.
Moreover, under the ambit of the extended Digital India project, an augmentation of nine new supercomputers is envisaged within the framework of the National Supercomputing Mission (NCM).
Emphasising the project's momentum, the minister highlighted that the NCM has already successfully deployed 18 supercomputers.
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar underscored India's accomplishments in innovation, entrepreneurship, electronics manufacturing, and digital prowess, characterising them as just the "beginning" of an expansive growth prospect for the nation. He projected that India possesses the potential to scale up to a remarkable figure of one lakh unicorns and potentially 10-20 lakh startups in the foreseeable future.
As he marked his two-year anniversary as the Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Chandrasekhar lauded India Stack and the nation's digital public infrastructure, hailing them as global exemplars of how technology can be harnessed for societal welfare and overarching community benefits.
Chandrasekhar asserted that the degree of digitisation spanning across government, governance, and the economy is slated to gain even greater momentum, promising a heightened acceleration.
Over the past biennium, Chandrasekhar remained resolutely committed to steering India's digital agenda forward, actively fostering strategies to bolster domestic electronics and semiconductor manufacturing.
He has also been deeply involved with key pieces of legislation - the draft Digital India Bill, which is in the works, and the draft Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, which was approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday and is expected to be introduced during the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament.