Date: 2026-03-11Category: Press ReleaseState: Union GovernmentCountry: India
Digital India is advancing digital inclusion through greater access, affordability & strong Digital Public Infrastructure, says Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw
**Executive Summary**
The Digital India programme, launched in July 2015, aims to advance digital inclusion through greater access, affordability, and strong Digital Public Infrastructure. It has successfully bridged the digital divide, resulting in inclusive digital growth. Key developments include a manifold increase in internet access and India having among the lowest data tariffs globally. The information was presented by Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in Lok Sabha.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Digital India Programme (Launched July 2015)**
* **Purpose:** To democratize technology and empower citizens, advancing digital inclusion.
* **Strategy:** A three-pronged approach comprising increasing internet access, making internet affordable, and providing digital public infrastructure.
* **Increasing Access to Internet**
* Internet access has increased multifold, with connectivity rising from 25 Crore in 2014 to 103 Crore in 2025.
* This increase is attributed to the rapid expansion of 4G and 5G networks, optical fiber cables, and focus on digital infrastructure.
* **Making Internet Affordable**
* India offers among the lowest data tariffs globally, with approximate costs per 1 GB of data being USD 0.08 – 0.10, significantly lower than the global average.
* This affordability is linked to transparency brought to the telecom sector.
* **Providing Digital Public Infrastructure**
* **Aadhaar:** Over 1.43 billion Aadhaar numbers have been generated, providing a universal digital identity that facilitates access to welfare schemes and financial inclusion.
* Aadhaar-linked Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) enable direct transfer of welfare benefits to beneficiaries' bank accounts, eliminating the need for multiple documents and reducing duplicates.
* Over 16,600 crore authentications have been conducted for service access.
* **Unified Payments Interface (UPI):** Enables large-scale digital payment adoption with over 460 million users and billions of monthly transactions.
* It serves 6.5 crore merchants and connects 685 banks, making it the world's largest digital payment system.
* UPI powers 81% of India's digital payments and approximately 49% of global real-time digital payments.
* **Safeguards for Public Safety and Public Order**
* The Central and State Governments are empowered to issue orders for temporary suspension of internet services to address public emergencies and safety concerns.
* These actions are taken in accordance with the Telecommunication (Temporary suspension of Services) Rules, 2024, and Supreme Court guidelines.
**Impact Analysis**
**Citizens**
* **Impact:** Have gained greater access to the internet, benefiting from affordable data tariffs, and accessing welfare schemes and financial inclusion through digital public infrastructure like Aadhaar and UPI. They are also subject to potential internet suspensions for public safety.
* **Action Required:** To utilize the digital public infrastructure for services and transactions, and to be aware of the provisions for internet suspension.
**Government Entities (Central and State)**
* **Impact:** Are empowered to implement digital initiatives, deliver welfare schemes more efficiently through DBT, and have the authority to suspend internet services for public safety.
* **Action Required:** To continue the implementation and expansion of Digital India initiatives, ensure the effective functioning of digital public infrastructure, and exercise the power to suspend internet services as per established rules and guidelines.
**Telecom Sector Companies**
* **Impact:** Operate in a sector with low tariffs and are part of the expanded network infrastructure supporting increased internet access. They are also involved in facilitating UPI transactions.
* **Action Required:** To continue providing affordable internet services and supporting the growth of digital payments and infrastructure.
Key Entities Referenced
Digital India programme: A government initiative launched in July 2015 to democratize technology and empower citizens.
Telecommunication (Temporary suspension of Services) Rules, 2024: Rules empowering governments to issue orders for temporary suspension of internet for public emergency and safety concerns.
Aadhaar: A digital identity system providing universal digital identity and enabling access to welfare schemes and financial inclusion.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI): A digital payment system enabling large-scale adoption of digital payments.
Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw: Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology who provided information on Digital India.
Ministry of Electronics & IT
Digital India is advancing digital inclusion
through greater access, affordability & strong
Digital Public Infrastructure, says Union Minister
Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw
Internet access has increased multifold in the last decade
India has among the lowest data tariffs in the world
Posted On: 11 MAR 2026 3:57PM by PIB Delhi
In line with Prime Minister's vision to democratize technology and empower citizens, the Government of
India had launched the Digital India programme in July, 2015.
Through this programme, Bharat has bridged the digital divide using a three-pronged strategy: Increasing
access to internet, making internet affordable and providing digital public infrastructure. This has resulted
in inclusive digital growth.
Under the leadership of PM @narendramodi Ji, Digital India is advancing digital
inclusion through greater access, affordability & strong Digital Public
Infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/zN9VoBLZTl
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) March 11, 2026
Today, Bharat is uniquely placed among the large economies which have successfully implemented digital
public infrastructure. In fact, in the recent AI Impact Summit, President Macron of France stated that India
has built something that no other country in the world has built.
Steps taken by Government of India are as below:
A. Increasing access to internet:
Internet access has increased multifold in the last decade.
Year 2014 2025
Internet connectivity 25 Crore 103 Crore
(Source: TRAI)
Rapid expansion of 4G and 5G networks, vast network of optical fiber cables, and focus on digital
infrastructure has resulted in this massive increase in access to internet.B. Making internet affordable:
India has among the lowest data tariffs in the world. The table compares the tariffs as available on various
public sources:
Country Approx. Cost per 1 GB (USD)
India ~ 0.08 – 0.10 (lowest)
Bangladesh ~ 0.23-0.34
Nepal ~ 0.27-0.43
Sri Lanka ~ 0.25-0.35
Pakistan ~ 0.12-0.18
France ~ 0.16-0.20
Germany ~ 2.14
Global Average ~ 2.59
As evident from above, India’s telecom tariffs are 25 times less than the global average. This has been
made possible because of the transparency in telecom sector brought by the Prime Minister.
C. Providing digital public infrastructure:
India has developed a unique digital public infrastructure which has enabled large scale digital solutions
for our people.
Aadhaar: Over 1.43+ billion Aadhaar numbers have been generated, providing a universal digital
identity. This has enabled access to welfare schemes and financial inclusion.
Through Aadhaar-linked Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT), cash benefits from various welfare schemes (328
Schemes of 56 Ministries) are directly transferred into beneficiaries' bank accounts. This has done with the
requirement of multiple documents and eliminated duplicate or fake beneficiaries.
More than 16,600 crore authentications have been carried out by various organizations in order to avail
various services. 10.67+ Crore Aadhaar IDs have been generated in the state of West Bengal.
Unified Payments Interface (UPI): UPI has enabled large-scale digital payment adoption with over 460
million usersand billions of transactions monthly. This platform serves 6.5 crore merchants, and connects
685 banks on one platform, making it the world’s largest digital payment system.
UPI powers 81% of India’s digital payments and nearly 49% of global real-time digital payments.
Therefore, the three pronged strategy has resulted in inclusive digital growth in the last decade in our
country.
Safeguards for public safety and public orderThe Central Government and State Governments are empowered to issue orders for temporary suspension
of internet to address the public emergency and public safety concerns. This is done as per the
Telecommunication (Temporary suspension of Services) Rules, 2024 and the Guidelines of Supreme court
in this regard.
This information was provided by the Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology Shri
Ashwini Vaishnaw in Lok Sabha today.
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