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Which of the following is/are the aim/aims of "Digital India" Plan of the Government of India ? 1. Formation of India's own Internet companies like China did. 2. Establish a policy framework to encourage overseas multinational corporations that collect Big Data to build their large data centres within our national geographical boundaries. 3. Connect many of our villages to the Internet and bring Wi-Fi to many of our schools, public places and major tourist centres. Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Explanation
The Digital India programme was approved with the vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.[1] This vision is being realised through three key pillars: robust digital infrastructure, accessible government services, and empowered citizens.[2]
Statement 3 is correct because BharatNet is the first pillar of Digital India programme being implemented in a phased manner for providing broadband connectivity to all the 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country.[3] Additionally, the government also intended to enhance and improve connectivity of all villages and rural areas through internet networks.[4] Till August 2019, more than 463 public Wi-Fi hotspots were operational across India.[5]
Statement 1 is incorrect as there is no mention in any source document that forming India's own Internet companies like China did is an aim of Digital India. The programme focuses on digital infrastructure and connectivity rather than creating domestic internet companies.
Statement 2 is also not supported by the sources as an explicit aim of Digital India. While several major states have notified their respective data centre policies and others have signed MoUs with private players to develop data centres[6], this represents separate policy initiatives rather than a core aim of the Digital India programme itself.
Sources- [1] https://www.meity.gov.in/static/uploads/2024/03/Running-single-file.pdf
- [2] https://www.investindia.gov.in/blogs/digital-india-revolutionising-tech-landscape
- [3] Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 15: Infrastructure > National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) > p. 462
- [4] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 39: After Nehru... > Digital India: a Step Forward in e-Governance > p. 778
- [5] Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 15: Infrastructure > Public Wi-Fi Hotspots > p. 463
- [6] https://www.trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/2024-11/CP_29092023.pdf
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis question tests your ability to distinguish 'Official Pillars' from 'Newspaper Noise'. Statement 3 is a direct textbook fact (one of the 9 pillars). Statements 1 and 2 are 'plausible-sounding' traps drawn from peripheral debates (data localization, anti-China sentiment) rather than the actual notified aims of the scheme.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Is the formation of India's own Internet companies (akin to China's approach) an aim of the Digital India Plan of the Government of India?
- Statement 2: Is establishing a policy framework to encourage overseas multinational corporations that collect Big Data to build their large data centres within India's geographical boundaries an aim of the Digital India Plan of the Government of India?
- Statement 3: Is connecting many villages to the Internet and providing Wi‑Fi to schools, public places, and major tourist centres an aim of the Digital India Plan of the Government of India?
- Describes Digital India in terms of promoting electronics hardware manufacturing and supporting domestic manufacturers.
- Emphasis is on providing a level playing field for manufacturers to compete with imports, not on creating domestic Internet platform companies.
- Defines Digital India through three pillars: digital infrastructure, government services, and empowered citizens.
- Focus is on infrastructure and service delivery rather than an explicit aim to form Indian Internet companies like China's model.
- Highlights work on e‑governance standards, guidelines and the India Digital Ecosystem Architecture (InDEA) as part of Digital India.
- Shows emphasis on building standards and architectures for government digital services rather than on fostering domestic Internet platform companies.
Describes Digital India as aimed at electronically empowering citizens and connecting government departments and people digitally — a core programme to build digital infrastructure and services.
A student could infer that building digital services and platforms creates the policy space where domestic internet companies could emerge and then check whether Digital India explicitly funds or favours domestic firms.
Notes BharatNet (NOFN) is the first pillar of Digital India to provide broadband to gram panchayats — an infrastructural push that lowers entry barriers for internet services nationwide.
One could reason that nationwide broadband expansion is a prerequisite for scaling homegrown internet companies and then look for policy measures that promote domestic firm formation.
National Digital Communication Policy objectives include provisioning broadband, creating jobs, increasing sector GDP share and enhancing contribution to global value chains — indicating emphasis on strengthening the domestic digital industry.
A student might extend this to ask whether 'enhancing contribution to global value chains' implies nurturing domestic internet companies and then search policy documents for explicit industry-development measures.
States the principle that India should not transplant a single external model and must find its own strategy for growth — a general rule about policy direction.
From this, one could infer India may avoid simply copying China's approach and instead craft an indigenous path; follow-up would be to compare Digital India text with China's industrial policies to see alignment or divergence.
Lists digital initiatives in health and education (National Digital Health Blueprint, DIKSHA) showing the programme emphasizes building national digital platforms across sectors.
A student could argue that creating national digital platforms shows preference for domestic digital infrastructure, then investigate whether these platforms are implemented by domestic companies or opened to foreign firms.
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