On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that India has made significant progress in digital payments over the past decade, following the launch of the Digital India initiative in 2015, which aims to enhance governance and increase the accessibility of technology.”Ten years on, we bear witness to a journey that has impacted innumerable lives and heralded a new age of empowerment. India has achieved significant progress in digital payments, driven by the united determination of 1.4 billion Indians,” Modi stated.
In a post on LinkedIn, Modi highlighted the rise in internet connections. “In 2014, India had approximately 25 crore internet connections. Today, that figure has surged to over 97 crores.” Modi expressed that the upcoming decade will be even more revolutionary. “We are transitioning from digital governance to global digital leadership, shifting from India-first to India-for-the-world.” He also shared a thread from MyGovIndia on X, detailing achievements under the Digital India initiative, which includes the swift rollout of 5G, extensive digital payment systems, and the broadening of internet access. “Whether it’s a distant village or an emerging startup, Digital India is creating opportunities everywhere.
The article stated that 5G services currently reach 95% of India’s population, positioning it among the swiftest rollouts. India provides some of the most economical internet globally, with data costs falling below ₹10 per GB, which is significantly lower than China’s ₹32 per GB and South Africa’s ₹151 per GB, according to the article. Furthermore, it noted that India has emerged as “the heartbeat of the world’s digital payment systems,” now representing 50% of the global real-time digital payments and handling billions of transactions each month.
The article highlighted that more than 42 lakh kilometers of optical fiber have been installed throughout the nation, which is equivalent to 11 times the distance from Earth to the Moon, as part of initiatives such as BharatNet aimed at enhancing connectivity.