Vision to Reality
Digital India, an initiative which is not just about technological advancement but a powerful tool propelling India towards its core constitutional ideals!
By: Mohd Amin Mir
‘Digital India’, the initiative which is not just about technological advancement, but a powerful tool propelling India towards its core constitutional ideals. From promising equality and justice to empowering citizens and fostering sustainable development, digitalization is weaving itself into the fabric of India’s democratic tapestry.
Prime Minister NarendraModi in 2015 envisioned the ‘Digital India’ programme to transfer India into digitally empowered society and a knowledge economy. The Programme symbolises the government of India’s vision for connecting and empowering 125 crore citizens, creating unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability in governance; and leveraging technology for quality education, health care, farming, financial inclusion and empowering citizens. Under the ‘Digital India’ Programme, technology will play a central role to achieve easy, effective and economical governance.
The Digital India programme rests on nine pillars:
- Broadband Highways
- Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity
- Public Internet Access Programme
- e-Governance – Reforming Government through Technology
- e-Kranti – Electronic Delivery of Services
- Information for All
- Electronics Manufacturing
- IT for Jobs
- Early Harvest Programmes.
The ‘Digital India’ campaign and a push towards e-governance are steps towards reducing corruption and enhancing transparency in governance, resonating with the ancient ideal of a just and transparent administration.
Centre’s Ujjwala Scheme, BetiBachao, BetiPadhaocampaign and Nari Shakti VandanAct etc aim to empower Matrishakti. These campaigns by PM Modi-led central government illustrate an effort to forge a society where justice welfare and prosperity are not just ideals but tangible realities.
The ‘Digital India’ Programme was presented to the Union Cabinet on 20th August, 2014 and was formally launched by the Prime Minister on 1st July, 2015. The mprogramme is centred around three key areas: Digital Infrastructure to every citizen, Digital services & governance on demand and Digital empowerment of citizens.
Digital India is not just a technological leap, it is transformative journey aligning with India’s constitutional mission. The nation can empower its citizens, strengthen its democracy, and propel itself towards an equitable and sustainable future by utilising digital tools and addressing the accompanying challenges.
J&K Government has launched several path breaking citizen centric IT initiatives aimed at bringing greater transparency in governance and ease of living for citizens.
In the last two years, dedicated efforts have been made by J&K Administration to create an enabling environment for digital inclusion and promoting digital literacy to bridge the gap between government programs and citizen requirements. J&K, through innovation, implementation and inclusion is setting unprecedented benchmarks in digital initiatives and leading by example in Prime Minister’s Digital India campaign.
Pertinently, J&K is number one in the ranking of UTs in e-governance. Host of initiatives like E-office, BEAMS, AwamkiAwaaz, MyGov, e-Unnat, Digilocker, AapkiZameenAapkiNigrani have brought transparency & accountability in governance and made transformational changes in the lives of people. As many as 209 government services have been integrated with Rapid Assessment System for real time feedback of citizens.
Under Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities on “AapkiZameenAapkiNigrani”, the government organized special camps at Tehsil and Block level offices, Niabats, PatwarKhanas and PanchayatGhars to educate public about this digital platform by which people can access their land records with one click.
“We are grateful to the present administrations at Center and UT level for launching such technological innovations in all spheres of development making the lives of people comfortable and convenient”, said any people who visited District Record Room Anantnag for getting their old Revenue records in last two Years.
“ApkiZameenAapkiNigrani’ has empowered common people to check their land records on their mobiles getting rid of moving from pillar to post for the same and safeguarding our land. I thank LG administration for this revolutionary step”, he added
Earlier getting revenue extracts used to take months. With Land passbook, now everything is with the people. We have been relieved of the cumbersome process and nightmare of visiting revenue offices.
For many people it is the initiative that will expose people who grabbed government land and built infrastructure on public land.
Digital initiatives by the Government have empowered the student community to access books, study material even without enrolling for regular courses besides easing various other processes that involved to physically move documents from official to official.
Emphasising the need to take effective measures providing last mile solutions in digital services for the people of J&K, the LG has directed the stakeholders to formulate short-term goals of three-six months and long-term vision statements to transform core ICT infrastructure, governance, and services for ease of living, accessibility, and innovation to transform J&K into digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
He also launched the ‘Digi Dost’ programme aimed at developing a strong network of digitally empowered young volunteers at the district, block, and panchayat level who could work as the brand ambassadors for Digital J&K and Digital India to achieve maximum mobilisation and awareness on digital services.
‘Digi Dost’ volunteers would also assist in digital service delivery, data collection, training, spreading information regarding the Digital India campaign, and making people aware of cyber hygiene and cybercrimes. Due to the Prime minister ShriNarendraModi’s mission Digital India our Revenue department has crossed a mile stone and has made history by earning land revenues to a remarkable rise from Rs 291 crore in the fiscal year 2019-20 to an impressive Rs 544 crore in 2022-23, following the registration system’s complete modernization and integration with the National Common Document Registration System (NGDRS). Linking this system with Aadhaar has not only enhanced transparency and credibility but has also resulted in a notable increase in government income.
As per the reports in the wake of the abrogation of Article 370, rural areas of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are witnessing a remarkable surge in property registrations, marking a significant four-fold increase over the past two years. According to recent data, the number of registrations skyrocketed from 21,293 in 2020-21 to an impressive 80,128 in 2022-23.
The introduction of a digital system for property registration has revolutionized the traditional approach, liberating citizens from the cumbersome process of engaging Katibs (registry scribes). Historically, land registration in Jammu and Kashmir was exclusive to the courts, dating back to 1889 when Maharaja Pratap entrusted this responsibility to the judicial system based on the Jammu and Kashmir Registration Act of 1977 VikramSamvat. However, says a senior revenue official, with the repeal of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and the subsequent formation of a dedicated land registration department under the Revenue Department, a paradigm shift has occurred.
This overhaul, as per the reports, led to the establishment of 77 registrars and sub-registrars who now operate under the purview of the Central Law Registration Act of 1908, replacing 153 state laws with 106 central laws. The transition to digitalization has particularly benefited rural areas, offering enhanced facilities such as SMS alerts for registration updates, mandatory thumb impressions, and the convenience of home-based and online registrations. This has proven especially advantageous for the elderly, disabled, and those unable to visit government offices.
Furthermore, reports suggest that the integration of the registration system with the National Common Document Registration System (NGDRS) and Aadhaar has significantly bolstered transparency and credibility in the registration process. As a result, government revenues has witnessed a substantial increase, with income surging from Rs 291 crore in 2019-20 to a noteworthy Rs 544 crore in 2022-23
Author is Incharge District Record Room Deputy Commissioner Office Anantnag.
Kashmir Images is an English language daily newspaper published from Srinagar (J&K), India. The newspaper is one of the largest circulated English dailies of Kashmir and its hard copies reach every nook and corner of Kashmir Valley besides Jammu and Ladakh region.
