eGovWatch: Digital India to focus equally on content development and infrastructural aspects

The ‘Digital India’ initiative will focus equally on non-infrastructural aspects like upgrading of skill, content development and raising awareness along with the laying down of broadband lines connecting gram panchayats across the country.

This is to ensure that the project isn’t delayed beyond 2019, the scheduled deadline, as users and operators come to grips with the e-enterprise.

It is learnt that Union minister for communications and information technology Ravi Shankar Prasad has requested for presentations on developments in other key aspects of the plan.

“People need to be aware of the facilities on offer and also trained to operate the systems that will be set up. We cannot wait for the physical infrastructure to be set up before starting on the other aspects,” said a ministry official. The focus on language, in terms of both creating content and ability to operate the systems created, cannot be underestimated, he said.

“The services have to be offered in regional languages and dialects. If a few of them are left out, then there is a danger that some regions will lag behind,” he said. The Digital India project is an umbrella program to offer several government services electronically by linking 2,50,000 gram panchayats across 631 districts through optical fibre networks.