Eleven Years of Digital India
Review Shows India Keeping Up to Global Trends
Ø
₹1.64
Lakh Crore Investment Approved Across 12 Semiconductor Projects; Electronics
Emerges as India's Third-Largest Export Category
Ø
Shared
Compute Facility with Over 45,000 GPUs Strengthens India's AI Ecosystem;
Governance Guidelines Promote Safe, Inclusive and Trustworthy AI
Ø
With
a Stronger Digital India, India's Innovation Ecosystem Records its Strongest
Year; Startup Employment Reaches 23.36 Lakh, Nearly Half Feature at Least One Woman Director or Partner
·
Digital
India, launched on 1 July 2015, has
completed 11 years,
transforming India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
·
Internet
connectivity has expanded nearly fourfold,
while the cost of mobile data has fallen from ₹269 per GB to ₹8–10 per GB,
making India one of the world's most affordable digital markets.
·
The
programme is now entering a new phase focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI)
and semiconductor
manufacturing, aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
·
The IndiaAI Mission, with an outlay
of over ₹10,372
crore, is building India's indigenous AI ecosystem.
·
A
national AI compute facility with over
45,000 GPUs has been established to support AI research and
innovation.
·
15
Large Language Models (LLMs) and Small Language Models (SLMs) are
being supported across speech, text and vision applications.
·
AI
Kosh hosts 12,519 datasets, 307 AI models and 20 toolkits,
providing open AI resources for researchers and startups.
·
20 AI
solutions have been deployed across 12 sectors through
innovation challenges and in-house development.
·
27
Data and AI Labs have been established in Tier-II and
Tier-III cities.
·
684 AI
fellowships have been awarded, while 8.4 million learners
have completed the YUVA AI
course.
·
18
Centres of Excellence and 20 AI startups have received support under
the mission.
·
AI
Governance Guidelines, released in November 2025, promote
safe, inclusive and trustworthy AI development.
·
The India AI Impact Summit 2026:
o Attracted delegations from over 100 countries and 20 international organisations.
o Engaged nearly 15 lakh participants.
o Saw 92
countries and organisations adopt the India AI Impact Summit Declaration.
o Generated over US$200 billion in AI-related
investment commitments.
·
Under
the India Semiconductor
Mission, 12
semiconductor manufacturing projects worth approximately ₹1.64 lakh crore
have been approved.
·
These
include:
o 1 semiconductor fabrication unit,
o 2 compound semiconductor fabrication units, and
o 9 semiconductor packaging units.
·
India
Semiconductor Mission 2.0, announced in Union Budget 2026-27,
focuses on semiconductor equipment, materials, indigenous IP and resilient
supply chains.
·
Under
the Design Linked
Incentive (DLI) Scheme:
o 24 projects are
being supported.
o 105 companies have
received advanced chip design tools.
o 23 chip design tapeouts have
been completed.
·
SEMICON
India 2025 featured:
o 350+ exhibitors from 48 countries and regions.
o Signing of 13 MoUs, reflecting growing global
confidence in India's semiconductor ecosystem.
·
India's
electronics manufacturing industry has grown to ₹13 lakh crore.
·
Electronics
has become India's
third-largest export sector.
·
India
is now the world's
second-largest mobile phone manufacturer.
·
Growth
is being driven by AI-enabled data centre components, 5G equipment and
advanced networking technologies.
·
UPI
completed 10 years
in April 2026.
·
During
FY 2025–26,
UPI processed 24,162 crore
transactions.
·
UPI
now accounts for:
o 81% of India's digital payments, and
o Nearly 49% of global real-time digital
transactions.
·
India's
Digital Public
Infrastructure (DPI) is now being adopted through cooperation
agreements by 23 countries.
·
Broadband
subscribers reached 106.58
crore as of March
2026.
·
BharatNet has
connected 2.18 lakh Gram
Panchayats with high-speed broadband.
·
India's
5G network covers 99.9% of
districts, supported by 4.74
lakh towers.
·
The National Data Centre for the North East
Region was inaugurated in Guwahati in February 2026.
·
Draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules
released in January 2025
aim to strengthen consent-based data governance and establish a Data Protection Board.
·
The Promotion and Regulation of Online
Gaming Act:
o Received Presidential assent in August 2025.
o Came into force on 1 May 2026.
o Led to the establishment of the Online Gaming Authority of India
in April 2026.
·
More
than 55,200 startups
were recognised by DPIIT
during FY 2025–26,
the highest annual addition to date.
·
Recognised
startups now employ 23.36
lakh people, with employment growing 36.1% year-on-year.
·
Nearly
48% of recognised startups
have at least one woman director or partner,
highlighting inclusive entrepreneurship.
·
India's
Global Innovation Index
ranking improved from 81st
in 2015 to 38th
in 2025.
·
India
now has 2.23 lakh
recognised startups, positioning Digital India as a foundation
for the country's next phase of global technological leadership.
[ABS News Service/29.06.2026]
On
1 July 2015, Digital India was launched with the vision of transforming India
into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. Eleven years on, that
transformation is visible at every level of Indian life, in the village
panchayat connected through high-speed broadband, in the farmer receiving
direct benefit transfers within seconds, and in the student accessing quality
education on a smartphone. Internet connections have grown approx
four times than earlier, and the cost of mobile data has fallen from ₹269
per GB to ₹8–10, making digital access among the most affordable in the
world.
As
Digital India completes eleven years, it stands at a decisive inflection point.
Having built the foundational layer of digital infrastructure, financial
inclusion and citizen service delivery over its first decade, the programme is
now anchoring itself in the frontier domains of Artificial Intelligence and
semiconductor manufacturing, the two pillars that will define India's
technological future and underpin the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
IndiaAI
Mission: Building India's Indigenous AI Ecosystem
The
IndiaAI Mission, approved with an outlay of over
₹10,372 crore, has made significant strides over the past year. At its
foundation is the establishment of a shared compute facility with over 45,000
GPUs, creating the computational backbone for AI research and deployment at
national scale.
Under
the AI Foundation Model pillar, 15 Large Language Models and Small Language
Models are being supported across speech, text and vision modalities. The AI
Kosh platform now hosts over 12,519 datasets, 307 AI models and 20 toolkits,
making AI development resources openly accessible to researchers, startups and
institutions across the country. Twenty AI solutions have been deployed across
12 sectors through challenges, hackathons and in-house development.
To
ensure AI capability reaches beyond metropolitan centres, 27 Data and AI Labs
have been established across Tier II and Tier III cities, 684 Fellowships
awarded to students, and 8.4 million learners supported through the YUVA AI
course. Eighteen Centres of Excellence have been set up across the country, and
20 Indian AI startups have been supported for capacity building. AI Governance
Guidelines, released in November 2025, affirm India's commitment to developing
AI that is safe, inclusive and trustworthy.
The
India AI Impact Summit 2026, held in February, marked a defining moment in
India's global AI leadership. The summit brought together delegations from over
100 countries and 20 international organisations, attracting nearly 15 lakh
participants through physical and virtual engagement. The India AI Impact
Summit Declaration was adopted by 92 countries and organisations, reflecting
broad international support for India's vision of trustworthy and
development-oriented AI. The event catalysed over USD 200 billion in AI-related
investment commitments and reinforced India's position as a trusted global
convenor for AI research, infrastructure and digital public goods.
Semiconductor Mission:
From Policy to Production
India's
semiconductor ecosystem has moved decisively from policy to production. Under
the India Semiconductor Mission, 12 semiconductor manufacturing projects have
been approved with an investment pipeline of approximately ₹1.64 lakh
crore, comprising one semiconductor fabrication unit, two compound
semiconductor fabrication units and nine packaging units. India Semiconductor
Mission 2.0, announced in the Union Budget 2026-27, signals a deepening of the
national commitment to chip manufacturing, with focus on semiconductor
equipment, materials, indigenous intellectual property and resilient supply
chains.
On
the design side, 24 projects are being supported under the Design Linked
Incentive Scheme, 105 companies have been assisted with advanced chip design
tools, and 23 design tapeouts have been completed at
various foundries, including at advanced nodes, reflecting India's growing
depth in semiconductor design.
India's
emergence as a global semiconductor destination received strong international
validation at SEMICON India 2025, which brought together over 350 exhibiting
companies from 48 countries and regions. The signing of 13 MoUs and the
participation of leading global semiconductor CEOs highlighted growing
international confidence in India's policy framework and long-term
semiconductor vision.
Electronics Manufacturing:
Achieving Global Scale
The
convergence of AI and semiconductor investments is already reshaping India's
electronics manufacturing landscape. The sector has grown into an industry
valued at ₹13 lakh crore, and electronics has emerged as India's
third-largest export category, a milestone that was unimaginable just a decade
ago. India is today the world's second-largest mobile phone manufacturer. The
advanced manufacturing ecosystem now taking shape, spanning AI-enabled data
centre components, 5G equipment and high-end networking gear, is integrating
India into global technology supply chains while creating large-scale
employment domestically.
UPI Completes a Decade:
India's Global Payments Leadership
In
April 2026, UPI completed ten years of transforming India's financial
landscape. In FY 2025-26, the platform recorded 24,162 crore transactions. UPI
now powers 81% of India's digital payments and accounts for nearly 49% of all
global real-time digital transactions, cementing India's position as the
undisputed global leader in real-time payments. UPI is operational in multiple
countries, and India's Digital Public Infrastructure has been formally engaged
by 23 nations through cooperation agreements.
Expanding Digital
Infrastructure
India's
digital backbone has continued to strengthen over the past year. Broadband
subscribers have reached 106.58 crore as of March 2026. BharatNet
has connected 2.18 lakh Gram Panchayats with high-speed broadband, taking
digital access to the last mile of rural India. India's 5G network now covers
99.9% of districts, with 4.74 lakh towers established. In February 2026, the
National Data Centre for the North East Region was launched at Guwahati,
strengthening digital infrastructure and data sovereignty for the region.
Strengthening the Digital
Governance Framework
The
past year has seen decisive advances in India's digital governance
architecture. Draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, released in January
2025, are establishing a robust framework for consent-based data governance,
including mechanisms for data breach reporting and the creation of a Data
Protection Board. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, which
received Presidential assent in August 2025, came into force on 1 May 2026, and
the Online Gaming Authority of India was constituted in April 2026, providing a
structured and balanced regulatory framework for one of India's most rapidly
growing digital sectors.
Innovation and Startup
Ecosystem
India's
innovation ecosystem has recorded its strongest year yet. Over 55,200 entities
were certified by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
(DPIIT) in FY 2025-26 alone, the highest single-year addition since the
programme's inception. Direct employment generated by recognised startups has
reached 23.36 lakh, reflecting a 36.1% year-on-year surge in job creation.
Nearly 48% of all recognised startups feature at least one
woman director or partner, underscoring the inclusive character of India's
innovation growth.
As
Digital India completes eleven years, the programme is operating at the
intersection of scale and frontier, continuing to deliver services to hundreds
of millions of citizens while building the AI infrastructure, semiconductor
capacity and advanced electronics ecosystem of tomorrow. With India's Global
Innovation Index ranking having improved from 81 in 2015 to 38 in 2025, and
with 2,23,000 recognised startups driving innovation-led growth, Digital
India's eleventh anniversary is not merely a milestone to reflect upon; it is
the foundation from which India's next decade of global technological
leadership will be built.