As the ‘Digital India’ initiative completes 10 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared how the step enabled India to transform into an empowered economy.
“Ten years ago, we embarked on a bold journey into uncharted territory with great conviction. While decades were spent doubting the ability of Indians to use technology, we changed this approach and trusted the ability of Indians to use technology,” the Prime Minister shared in a blog post on LinkedIn.
The initiative was launched by the Prime Minister in 2015 with a single aim – using technology to make life easier for every Indian. “While decades were spent thinking that use of technology will deepen the gap between the haves and the have-nots, we changed this mindset and used technology to eliminate the gap between the haves and the have-nots,” he wrote.
“When the intent is right, innovation empowers the less empowered. When the approach is inclusive, technology brings change in the lives of those on the margins,” the PM wrote, adding that this belief laid the foundation for Digital India -- a mission to democratise access, build inclusive digital infrastructure, and opportunities for all.
How the digital landscape has evolved in last 10 years?
PM Modi highlighted that internet connections have increased from 25 crore in 2014 to over 97 crore in 2025. Over 42 lakh kilometres of optical fibre cable equivalent to 11 times the distance between Earth and the Moon now connects even the most remote villages.
India’s 5G rollout is among the fastest in the world, with 4.81 lakh base stations installed in just two years, the PM noted.
“India Stack, which is our digital backbone, has enabled platforms like UPI, which now handles 100+ billion transactions a year. Around half of all real time digital transactions happen in India,” he wrote.
Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) -- an initiative aiming at promoting open networks for all aspects of exchange of goods and services over digital or electronic networks -- recently crossed 200 million transactions, with the last 100 million in just six months.
The PM further stated that India’s digital public infrastructure (DPI) from Aadhaar, CoWIN, DigiLocker, and FASTag to PM-WANI and One Nation One Subscription is now studied and adopted globally.
“CoWIN enabled the world’s largest vaccination drive, issuing 220 crore QR-verifiable certificates. DigiLocker, with 54 crore users, hosts 775 crore+ documents, securely and seamlessly,” he wrote.
India now ranks among the top three startup ecosystems in the world, with over 1.8 lakh startups, he wrote. “But this is more than a startup movement, it is a tech renaissance,” he said.
Way ahead
The next decade will be even more transformative, the Prime Minister wrote, adding, “We are moving from digital governance to global digital leadership, from India-first to India-for-the-world.”
“Digital India has not remained a mere government program, it has become a people’s movement. It is central to building an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, and to making India a trusted innovation partner to the world,” he added.
Calling all the innovators, entrepreneurs, and dreamers, the Prime Minister said that the world is looking at India for the next digital breakthrough. “Let us build what empowers. Let us solve what truly matters. Let us lead with technology that unites, includes, and uplifts,” he concluded.
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