GS Paper 2:
Syllabus: Issues related to the development of the social sector, healthcare, education, human resources etc
Context:
Seven years since the launch of Digital India (2015), Digital India Week is being celebrated for emphasizing the ‘digital-first’ economy.
- The ‘ ‘Digital India” programme was launched to transform the country into a “digitally empowered society and knowledge economy”.
Measures taken to link individuals to the country’s digital ecosystem:
- Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) initiative: It provides digital identities to more than a billion Indian citizens.
- Unified Payments Interface (UPI): provides access to the country’s banking system for millions of Indians who were earlier excluded from the formal economy.
- WhatsApp: It sees itself as India’s digital ally:
- Working with the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) during the pandemic
- Women farmers in Kashmir used WhatsApp to create an alternate ‘supply-chain’.
- Connect with customers in Gujarat to sell thousands of kilograms of apples and cherries.
- Digitization of businesses: Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of a resilient national economy. About one-third to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
- Through WhatsApp for Business App, millions of small businesses grow their client base and revenue streams.
- Jeevan Handicrafts based in Nagaur, Rajasthan, is an example of the app being used to empower local women artisans.
- Payments and financial inclusion: The adoption of digital payments on UPI has fast-forwarded the pace of financial literacy across the board, from urban enthusiasm to rural need.
- WhatsApp’s pilot programme aims to empower 500 villages across Karnataka and Maharashtra with access to digital payments through ‘payments on WhatsApp’ and will include on-ground facilitators educating citizens on aspects such as signing up for UPI, setting up a UPI account and the best practices of safety while using digital payments.
- Citizen services for efficient e-governance:
- MyGov Corona Helpdesk chatbot on WhatsApp in partnership with the government, the chatbot has become a one-stop solution for accessing authentic covid-related information and vaccination-related resources.
- MyGov Helpdesk now includes ‘Digilocker’ services, offering quick access to official documents.
Insta Links:
Practice Questions:
Q. Implementation of Information Technology-based projects/programmes usually suffers in terms of certain vital factors. Identify these factors, and suggest measures for their effective implementation. (UPSC 2019)
Q. In India, the term “public key infrastructure” is used in the context of (UPSC 2020)
a. Digital technology
b. Food security infrastructure
c. Healthcare and education infrastructure
d. Telecommunication and transportation infrastructure
Ans: (a)
Justification:
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI):
- It is a technology for authenticating devices and users in the digital world.
- The basic idea behind PKI is to have one or more trusted parties digitally sign documents certifying that a particular cryptographic key belongs to a particular user or device.
