New Delhi: With the Modi government hailing Digital India as a people’s movement that democratised technology in 10 years, the Congress on Tuesday claimed the fine print of its “lofty claims” is marred by unfulfilled promises, digital exclusion of the marginalised, hurting privacy and weakening transparency.
Digital India is a flagship programme of the government launched on July 1, 2015, by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi with the vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
Questioning the government’s claims of the success of the initiative that completed 10 years, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge cited data like villages and schools that are yet to get broadband connectivity, the rising debt of state-owned telecom companies MTNL and BSNL and a surge in cyber crimes.
At the same time, the opposition party sought to take credit for laying the foundation of several pathbreaking initiatives like Aadhaar and UPI during its rule.
“The fine print of Modi Govt’s lofty claims of ‘Digital India’ is marred by unfulfilled promises and false claims,” Kharge said in a post on X.
As of 26th June 2025, under the BharatNet project, a total of 6.55 lakh villages were supposed to be targeted for broadband connectivity, but out of these, 4.53 lakh villages, i.e. 65 per cent of them are yet to be covered, he claimed.
“The project’s deadline has been revised at least 8 times in 11 years. A meagre 0.73% (766) Gram Panchayats currently have active Wi-Fi services. When the private players are opting for 5G, BSNL has not yet completed its target of deploying 1 lakh 4G towers. One-third towers left to be installed,” the Congress chief said.
Even after receiving three revival packages worth over Rs 3 lakh crore — Rs 69,000 crore in 2019, Rs 1.64 lakh crore in 2022, and Rs 89,047 crore in 2023 — it still lags behind private players, Kharge said.
He pointed out that BSNL’s debt rose by 291.7 per cent, from Rs 5,948 crore in March 2014 to Rs 23,297 crore in March 2024.
“MTNL’s debt increased by 136.2%, from Rs 14,210 crore to Rs 33,568 crore over the same period,” he said.
Kharge also flagged the issue of “digital exclusion of the marginalised”.
He said 75.3 per cent of people aged 15 and above in the country do not know how to use a computer.
“This includes 81.9% in rural areas and 60.4% in urban areas, highlighting a significant digital skills gap. (NSS survey, 2020-21),” he said.
Nearly 7 crore registered workers were excluded from MNREGA by imposing the condition of AADHAAR-based payment, he said.
Kharge further claimed that 54 per cent of government schools do not have an internet connection, 79 per cent have no desktop computer, 85 per cent lack a projector and 79per cent do not have a smart classroom.
He also alleged that it has hurt privacy and weakened transparency.
“None less than PM Modi himself, reportedly told Ministers & Secretaries that India saw over 10 crore cyberattacks since the Pahalgam terror attack. Cybersecurity incidents rose by about 76.25% from 2020 to 2024. These cases increased from 11.58 lakh in 2020 to over 20.41 lakh in 2024,” Kharge claimed, citing CERT-In data.
Between 2022 and 2024, digital arrest scams and related cybercrimes in India nearly tripled, and the money lost rose 21 times, he said, citing replies to questions in the Rajya Sabha.
TheI Act brought by the Congress party is being weakened by bringing a flawed Data Protection Law, he alleged.
“We were told that demonetisation will reduce cash transactions, but cash in circulation has risen, even in the last year,” Kharge said.
“Narendra Modi ji, we need to place on record that it was under the then PM Dr Manmohan Singh, that we created the Direct Benefits through AADHAAR & UPI architecture, which has made India a leader in Digital transactions.
“National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) which runs UPI transactions, was established by the UPA government in 2009 itself,” he said.
First Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme – PaHaL for LPG subsidy to 9.55 crore beneficiaries was launched by Congress-UPA in June 2013, Kharge pointed out.
“So, instead of glossing over National achievements, and trying to seek credit for #10YearsOfDigitalIndia, perhaps you should reflect on the multiple failures and frauds inflicted by your government,” the Congress president said.
His remarks came after Prime Minister Modi asserted on Tuesday that the Digital India initiative, launched a decade ago, bridged the digital divide between haves and have-nots, and democratised opportunity, stressing that it has become a people’s movement.
In a post on LinkedIn, he said that while decades were spent doubting the ability of Indians to use technology, his government changed this approach and trusted the ability of citizens to use technology.
Modi asserted that his government used technology to eliminate the gap between the haves and the have-nots, he added.
