India marks 10 years of Digital India, transforming lives and the digital economy

Current Context: On July 1, 2025, India marked 10 years of the Digital India initiative, launched in 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.

• PM Modi described it as a “people’s movement” that has revolutionized governance, empowered citizens, and positioned India as a global digital leader.

Key Achievements & Highlights

• Internet Access: Internet connections surged from 25 crore (2014) to 97 crore (2025); 42 lakh km of optical fibre laid, reaching even Galwan and Siachen
• Digital Payments: India leads globally with 100+ billion UPI transactions annually, accounting for nearly 50% of global real-time payments
• Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): Over ₹44 lakh crore transferred directly to citizens, saving ₹3.48 lakh crore in leakages
• SVAMITVA Scheme: Issued 2.4 crore+ property cards, mapping 6.47 lakh villages to resolve land disputes
• ONDC & GeM: Empowered MSMEs and artisans; ONDC crossed 200 million transactions, GeM hit ₹1 lakh crore GMV in 50 days
• Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI): Platforms like Aadhaar, DigiLocker, CoWIN, FASTag, PM-WANI now serve as global models
• IndiaAI Mission: ₹10,282 crore initiative to provide 34,000 GPUs, making India the most affordable compute destination
• Startup Ecosystem: India ranks among the top 3 startup ecosystems, with 1.8 lakh+ startups driving innovation.

Question:

Q.1 As of 2025, where does India rank globally in the startup ecosystem?
a) First
b) Second
c) Third
d) Fifth

Answer: c) India ranks among the top 3 startup ecosystems globally, with over 1.8 lakh startups contributing to digital innovation and entrepreneurship.