Digital India is a program to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. Digital India Campaign is far more serious and realistic than just providing free internet compromising net neutrality. Let’s have a look at what actually this campaign is all about.

Digital India – History

Digital India campaign is restructured version of National e-Governance Scheme which started in 2006 under Mission Mode Project.

The modest beginning of e-Governance started in India in the early 90s but since those initiatives were yielding no or little results so in 2006 government decided to launch National e-Governance Program on Mission Mode basis but even under NEGP results were on slower pace so that new Government decided to restructure the Program into Digital India Campaign.

The government came with slogan IT + IT = IT which says Information Technology + Indian Talent = India of Tomorrow

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Three Key areas under Digital India Campaign

1. Digital Infrastructure as a utility to every citizen
2. Governance Services on Demand
3. Digital empowerment of Citizen

Pillars of Digital India

1. Broadband Highway
2. Universal access to mobile connectivity
3. Public interest access program  – National Rural Internet Mission
4. e-Governance
5. e-Kranti: Electronic delivery of services
6. Information for all
7. Electronic manufacturing
8. IT for jobs
9. Early Harvest Program

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Effective monitoring system

Strong monitoring strategy of the program is one of the key features that need to be appreciated, because, in our country, most of the ambitious plans fail due to lack of monitoring and control. There will be three types of committee with well-defined responsibilities. These are –

• In the form of a monitoring committee
• In the form Digital India Advisory committee
• In the form of a committee of Apex committee

The chairman of Monitoring committee by the Prime Minister himself, the advisory committee will be headed by Minister of Communication and IT, Apex committee will be headed by Cabinet Secretary.

Budget and Target Duration

An amount of Rupees 1,13,000 Crore is the total budget of the campaign.

Targets under the campaign to be achieved between 2014 to 2018.

Concerns

Program till so far is very slow thus we may miss most the targets by miles.

We are not focussed on Integrating technology with language. India is a diverse country – in language, culture, laws – which varies from state to state.

Lack of inter-ministerial, inter-departmental, inter-governmental (among states), inter-agency collaboration and collaborative effort.

The initiative started under Nation Optical fibre Network which is very vital and important for Digital-India campaign. need to be accelerated because till so care progress is dead slow.

Internet and cyber crimes are inseparable entities and steps being taken for safe, protected, secure use of cyberspace are not adequate. Digital India must be clubbed with cybersecurity.

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Net Neutrality vs Digital India

There is no way we can allow any compromise with the principle of net neutrality or let anyone redefine it as per convenience. Even if it can give rise in the number of internet user in short-term but in the long run it is not going to help and trigger larger issues such as ownership of the internet.

It is a worth cost to pay for the greater gain in future if net neutrality is slowing the pace of the Digital India Campaign to reach closer to the last user.

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National Income of India is a flow, not a stock. As contrasted with national wealth which measures the stock of commodities held by nationals of a country at a point of time, national income of India measures the productivity power of an economy in a given period to turn out goods and services to final consumption.

According to National Income Committee (1945), “A national income of India estimates measures and volume of commodities and services turned out during a given period counted without duplication.Thus, national income of India measures the net value of goods and services produced in a country during a year and it also includes net earned foreign income. In other words, a total of national income of India measures the flow of goods and services in the economy. In India, National income estimates are related by the financial year (April 1 – March 31).

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Concept of National Income of India

The various concepts of national income of India are as follows –

Gross National Product (GNP)

Gross National Product refers to the money value of total output or production of the final goods and services produced by the nationals of a country during a given period of time, generally a year.

1. As we include all final goods and services, produced by nationals of the country during a year, in the calculations of     GNP, we include money value of goods and services produced by nationals outside of the country in calculating           GNP. Hence, income produced and received by nationals of a country within the boundaries of foreign countries         should be added in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. Similarly, income received by foreign nationals within the boundary of the country should be excluded from GDP.

1. In equation form:
   GNP = GDP + X – M
   where,
   X = Income earned and received by the nationals within the boundaries of the foreign country.
   M= Income received by the foreign nationals within the country.
   If X = M then GDP = GNP
   Similarly in closed economy X = M = 0 then also GDP = GNP
   Gross Domestic Product is the total money value of all final goods and services within the geographical boundaries of the country during a given period of time. As a conclusion it must be understood, while domestic product emphasizes the total output which is raised within the geographical boundaries of the country, national product focuses attention not only on goods and services produced outside the boundaries of the nation. Besides, any part of GDP which is produced by nationals of a country should be included in GNP.
2. Net National ProductNNP is obtained by subtracting depreciation value (i.e. capital stock consumption) from GNP.

   In equation form: NNP = GNP – Depreciation

3. National IncomeGNP, explained above, is based on market prices of produced goods which include indirect taxes and subsidies. NNP can be calculated in two ways –

   i) at market prices of goods and services

   ii) at factor cost

   When NNP is obtained at factor cost, it is known as National Income. National Income is calculated by subtracting net indirect taxes (i.e. total indirect tax subsidy) from NNP at market prices. The obtained value is known as NNP at factor cost or National Income.

   In equation form:

   National Income or NNP at factor cost = NNP at Market Price – (Indirect Taxes – Subsidy)

   National Income = NNPMP – Indirect Tax + Subsidy

4. Personal IncomePersonal income is that income which is actually obtained by subtracting corporate taxes and payments made for social securities provisions from national income and adding to it government transfer payment and net interest paid by the government.
5. In equation form:Personal Income = National Income – undistributed profit of corporation – payment for social security provisions – corporate taxes + Government transfer payments + Business transfer payments + Net interest paid by Government

   It should always be kept in mind that National Income is a Flow Concept

6. Disposable Personal Income

   When personal direct taxes are subtracted from personal income, the obtained value is called disposable personal income (DPI)

   In equation form: DPI = Personal Income – Direct Taxes

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