Budget to boost Digital India vision
The Union Budget 2016-17 has given a big boost to the Digital India vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister. Let’s understand it in brief.
Announcements for Digital India
- Budget announcements will give a big boost to Digital India initiatives, Digital literacy, greater application of Cloud and above all big push to the Electronics Manufacturing
- Focus on the larger involvement of post office platform for financial inclusion, including delivery of services
Let’s now take an overview of some profound changes of last 20 years –
- IT / ITeS exports have crossed USD 100 billion
- Indiaâs share in global IT services outsourcing presently 56%, is growing every year
- Total employment in IT / ITeS sector is 37 lakhs in this financial year, out of which the net addition is 2 lakhs
- Electronics Manufacturing has seen remarkable improvement, due to the initiatives of government in this sector
New Incentives announced in the Budget 2016-17
Electronics Manufacturing
- Electronic manufacturing in India has got boost by further rationalization of duty structure
- Tax benefits for IT units in SEZs has been extended from 2017 till 2020.
- This will enable technology units to set up and commence operations in SEZs and also significant move for skill development to services companies as well
- This will permit 30 % of additional wages paid to new workmen, deductible for 3 years. This will give a big boost to the BPO operations and generate new jobs (essential for India to reap it’s demographic dividend)
Encouragement to Digital Literacy & Digital Lockers
- Digital depository of school leaving certificates, college degrees and mark-sheets will be created
- This would enhance the footprint of cloud technology in the Country
- The IT department has already laid down the framework for cloud technology and will assist in the expansion <Cloud Technology is the delivery of on-demand computing resourcesâ everything from applications to data centers over the Internet on a pay-for-use basis>
- Extraordinary expansion to Digital Literacy in the country; imparting digital literacy to 6 crore households in next 3 years
- As of now, against the target of 52.5 lakhs, more than40 lakhs have been trained
Use of Aadhaar platform for delivery of services
- A legislation will be brought to give a statutory backing to Aadhaar, for delivery of services /subsidies / benefits, corning out of Consolidated Fund of India
- This will prevent leakages by identifying the beneficiaries correctly and would encourage good governance
- Greater stress on the use of digital platform across various departments
- This will further encourage consolidation of seminal programmed of Digital India
Reforms in Postal department
- Effort is being made to leverage the vast network of India Post for implementing the mandate of financial inclusion
- Today, India Post has not only installed more than 576 ATMs but has overtaken the SBI to become India’s largest Core Banking Network having 18,231 branches
- By March, 2016 all the 25,000 Departmental Post Offices would offer Anywhere Banking facilities using Core Banking Solutions
- Further, India Post has achieved new heights in tapping the potential of e-commerce
- Its parcel revenues have witnessed a growth of 110% and it has collected more than Rs.1200 Crores from Cash on Delivery mode of payment for e-Commerce services
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Published with inputs from Arun Source - Ministry of Communications & IT | Pic - 9 Pillars of Digital India
