PM Modi He was addressing a gathering after inaugurating “Digital India Week 2022” at Mahatma Mandir Convention Center here.
Over the past eight years, he said, the DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) initiative, which aims to transfer subsidies or financial assistance to eligible beneficiaries directly through their linked bank accounts, has led to savings. 2,23,000 crores which were going to otherwise ineligible people.
“Till eight to ten years ago, we had to stand in queues for everything. For birth certificate, for bill filling, for ration, for admission, for result, for certificate, had to stand in a queue in banks. There were so many rows in which we used to stand. India has eliminated all these lines by making them online. Now, most of these services are digital.” Modi Told.
Highlighting the importance of his government’s Digital India mission, Modi said that time will not wait for a country which does not adopt new technology when required and the country faced it during the third industrial revolution.
“But now, India is guiding the world about the Fourth Industrial Revolution – Industry 4.0. Gujarat has also taken a lead in this initiative, as the state has already set up Data Centres, GSWANs, e-Grams and ATVT Jan Seva Kendras. As was the initiative.” Referring to the measures taken by the state government on the digital front, Modi said Gujarat CM,
The experience of launching those initiatives in Gujarat formed the foundation of the Digital India mission, he said, adding that the Centre’s nationwide program has relieved the poor from corruption and is working to eliminate middlemen in all sectors.
The PM said that the combination of Jan Dhan bank accounts, Aadhaar and mobile, called ‘JAM’, has benefited the poor as well as the middle class more as compared to other sections of the society.
Explaining how the Digital India initiative is saving people’s time, as they no longer need to visit government offices, Modi shared an experience from his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi, where he learned that laborers and poor citizens have to pay premium for half-life. – Loved to travel from high up. Vande Bharat Express train speed despite being expensive as compared to regular trains.
“The (Varanasi) station master said the train serves two purposes. It not only provides more space for storing luggage, it also saves them 6 to 8 hours of travel time, which these laborers can use to earn more money. This extra money (of Vande Bharat Express) will easily cover the higher ticket fare. This (proverb) is the perfect example of timing,” the PM said.
Recalling his days as Gujarat chief minister, Modi said many people had objected to his plan to distribute widow pension through post offices or banks, adding that the beneficiary women had to take the amount. It was difficult to come out of their homes.
“When I stuck to the scheme and started implementing it, we came to know that many ineligible persons were taking pension as widows. This was the reason why those who were opposing my decision wanted to continue it Using the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) route, we have deposited 23,00,000 crore directly into the bank accounts of the actual beneficiaries in the last 8 years,” the PM said.
He said that the DBT initiative has saved 2,23,000 crores which were going to otherwise ineligible people. The PM told the audience that Aadhaar’s biometric information has so far helped locate around 500 lost children and connect them with their families.
“In May, about 1.3 lakh UPI (Unified Payments Interface) transactions took place every minute, which translates to about 2,200 a second. 40 percent of the world’s digital transactions are happening in India. Many countries are showing interest in our digital products. Like UPI. These tools have scale, they are safe and have democratic value,” the PM said.
UPI is a system that powers to merge multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any participating bank), multiple banking features, seamless fund routing and merchant payments under one hood.
He said that a “double dose” of Digital India and Make in India (push or local manufacturing) will help India scale new heights in ‘Industrial Revolution 4.0’.
On the occasion, the PM launched several new digital initiatives such as Digital India Bhashini, Digital India Genesis, Chips to Startup and MyScheme.