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24th January 2025 (12 Topics)

India's Digital Economy Growth (2024–2030)

Context

India’s digital economy is expected to grow almost twice as fast as the overall economy, contributing nearly one-fifth of national income or gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030, according to the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY).

Key-highlights

  • Current Situation (2022–2023)
    • Share in National Income: India’s digital economy constituted 74% of the national income in 2022–2023.
    • Gross Value Added (GVA): The digital economy in 2022–2023 was valued at approximately Rs 28.94 lakh crore (~USD 368 billion).
    • GDP Contribution: It contributed around Rs 31.64 lakh crore (~USD 402 billion) to India’s GDP.
  • Forecast for 2024–2025: The digital economy is expected to grow twice as fast as the rest of the national economy. It will rise to 13.42% of India’s national income by the end of 2024–2025, up from 11.74% in 2022–2023.
  • Projection for 2030: By 2030, India’s digital economy will account for nearly 20% of the country’s overall GDP.
  • Key Digital Economy Sectors
    • ICT Sector: Information & Communications Technology (ICT) firms, telecom, and electronics manufacturing contribute the largest portion, making up 83% of national GVA.
    • Big Tech & Online Intermediaries: These contribute 2% of national GVA.
    • BFSI, Trade, & Education: Collectively, these sectors also contribute 2% to national GVA.
    • E-Commerce and Digital-Only Services: E-Commerce and digital-only firms contribute a limited share of the digital economy:
      • E-tailers contribute about 3% to GVA.
      • However, BFSI digital activities contribute four times that amount.

Challenges to Digital India

While Digital India has made significant strides, it faces several key challenges:

  • Digital Divide: Internet penetration is only 5%, leaving 675 million people unconnected, especially in rural areas. Additionally, 53% of rural households and 75% of urban households are dissatisfied with broadband speed.
  • Digital Literacy: Around 40% of people aged 15+ haven't accessed the internet in the past year due to lack of awareness and affordability. This limits the ability of many citizens to benefit from digital services.
  • Trade Barriers: Issues like data localization, restrictions on foreign satellite services, import curbs on IT hardware, and domestic production requirements pose barriers for foreign companies.
  • Tariffs & Market Access: India applies high customs duties on ICT goods and has some of the highest tariffs within the G20, affecting competitiveness. Additionally, India’s public procurement policies prioritize local suppliers.
  • Privacy and Data Security: As digital usage grows, concerns around data privacy and cybersecurity Despite the Personal Data Protection Bill, fears of data breaches and insufficient protection persist.
  • Rising Cyber Threats:The integration of generative AI into various sectors has led to a surge in cyberattacks, with phishing incidents and credential phishing witnessing exponential increases since 2022, highlighting the growing sophistication of cyber threats.

Key Aspects of India's Digital Infrastructure

  • National Data Centres (NDCs): India has invested heavily in the expansion of data centres to support the growing demand for cloud services, data storage, and AI/ML applications.
    • Key Locations: Delhi, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, and soon, Guwahati.
  • Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)
    • Aadhaar: The world's largest digital identity program with 138.34 crore Aadhaar numbers issued, enabling secure identity authentication.
    • Unified Payments Interface (UPI): Facilitating 24,100 crore financial transactions as of June 2024, promoting financial inclusion.
    • DigiLocker: A platform for digital document storage and verification, with 37.046 crore users and 776 crore documents.
    • DIKSHA: A platform for online learning, with 556.37 crore learning sessions and 14.37 crore course completions.
      • Other key DPI platforms include GeM (for government procurement), UMANG (access to government services), API SETU (for open APIs), and health platforms like Co-WIN and Aarogya Setu.
  • Digital Governance and Services
    • Digital India, launched in 2015, aims to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. 
    • Common Services Centres (CSCs): Over 5.84 lakh CSCs have been set up across India, offering a wide range of government services in rural areas.
    • UMANG App: A unified mobile application providing access to government services in 23 languages, with over 7.12 crore users.
    • MeriPehchaan: A National Single Sign-On (SSO) service that enables citizens to authenticate and access government services with a single set of credentials.
    • e-Sign (e-Hastakshar): A digital signature service, with 81.97 crore e-Signs issued.
    • Revolutionizing Governance and Public Service Delivery
    • DigiLocker: Over 37 crore registered users use DigiLocker to access and authenticate their documents digitally.
    • CollabFiles: A centralized platform for government officials to manage and share documents securely.
    • GovDrive: A cloud-based platform for securely storing and managing official documents.
    • National Knowledge Network (NKN) connects national and state data centres, facilitating digital governance and enabling collaborative research and resource sharing across institutions.
    • API Setu: A platform that allows seamless data exchange and service delivery across government systems. Over 6,000 APIs have been published, facilitating 312.01 crore transactions.
    • MyGov: A citizen engagement platform that encourages public participation, with over 4.89 crore registered users.
    • Rural Digital Services: The Common Services Centres (CSCs) initiative brings digital services to rural areas, providing access to government schemes, telemedicine, financial services, and more.
  • Digital Health & Education
    • eSanjeevani: A telemedicine service offering healthcare remotely.
    • e-Hospital: A hospital management system for streamlining hospital processes.
    • e-Courts: A platform digitizing judicial processes.
    • DIKSHA: An online education platform for teachers and students.

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