Context:

• Over the past two decades, technology has emerged as the biggest equalizer in India’s governance.
• From Gujarat experiments to nationwide digital public infrastructure, India has mainstreamed technology as a tool for antyodaya—reaching the last person in the queue.

Gujarat - The Laboratory of Innovation:

• Rural electrification – Jyotigram Scheme (2003):
  • Feeder separation technology ensured 24×7 power to rural households and industries.
  • Reduced groundwater depletion (through scheduled farm electricity), promoted women’s education, and revived rural industries resulted in the reduction of rural-urban migration.
  • Investment of ₹1,115 crore recovered in just 2.5 years.
• Installing solar panels on the Narmada canal (2012):
  • Generated 16 million units annually, powered 16,000 homes.
  • Reduced water evaporation, showcasing a dual-benefit approach.
  • The global adoption by the USA and Spain adds credibility to the innovation’s effectiveness.
• Governance technology:
  • e-Dhara: Digitized land records.
  • SWAGAT: Direct CM-citizen video interactions.
  • Online tenders: Reduced corruption.
  • These initiatives reduced corruption, improved the ease of accessing government service, restoring the trust of people in governance.

National Canvas - From Gujarat to Delhi:

• India Stack and JAM Trinity:
  • Jan Dhan Accounts: It brought over 53 crore people into the banking system, bringing the hitherto financially excluded into the formal economy for the first time.
  • Aadhaar:
    • It gave the citizens a digital identity with 142 crore registrations done so far, making government services more accessible.
    • For example, Aadhaar-based e-KYC is reduced to just Rs 5 per authentication.
  • Mobile (UPI): Over 55 crore users have transacted since its launch. For example, over 20 billion transactions worth Rs 24.85 lakh crore took place in August 2025 alone.
  • Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): It has eliminated middlemen and reduced leakages, resulting in savings of over Rs 4.3 lakh crore so far. This has been diverted to building more schools, hospitals, and infrastructure projects.
• PRAGATI platform:
  • Monthly PM-led project monitoring through video conferences.
  • Ensured real-time accountability in governance.

Technology in Key Sectors:

• Agriculture and healthcare:
  • AI apps for farmers, real-time weather and soil data.
  • PM-KISAN: The scheme delivers direct income support to 11 crore farmers digitally.
  • DigiLocker: It now has over 57 crore users, with 967 crore documents stored digitally.
• Space achievements:
  • Mars Orbiter Mission: It reached Mars on the first attempt and that too with a budget (₹450 crore) smaller than a Hollywood movie.
  • Chandrayaan-3: It made India the fourth country to achieve a soft lunar landing and the first to land on the Moon’s South Pole.
  • Other achievements:
    • ISRO launched 104 satellites in a single mission, setting a world record.
    • The Gaganyaan mission will make India the fourth nation to send humans to space using indigenous technology.
• COVID-19 response: Built in record time, it is a comprehensive digital solution for the world’s largest vaccination drive. The platform managed 200 crore vaccine doses with digital precision (preventing black-marketing and wastage).

Manufacturing and Infrastructure:

• Electronics and semiconductors:
  • Building capabilities step-by-step across value chains.
  • India contributes 20% of global chip design talent.
  • Focus on 2nm, 3nm and 7nm chip design, fabs, and ecosystem development.
• PM Gati Shakti Portal: GIS-based infrastructure planning integrating roads, rail, ports, airports, eliminating silos and reducing delays.
• AI and data:
  • IndiaAI Mission: Over 38,000 GPUs available at one-third of global cost. This has given startups, researchers, and students Silicon Valley-level computing at an average rate of Rs 67 per hour.
  • AIKosh: The platform hosts 2,000-plus datasets, ranging from weather to soil health. These can power indigenous LLMs developed for India’s languages, laws, health systems, and finance.
  • India’s techno-legal framework balances innovation and safeguards (deepfakes, privacy, cybersecurity).

Engineering Marvels:

• Statue of Unity (Kevadia, Gujarat): World’s tallest statue (182 meters), attracts 58 lakh annual visitors, creating jobs and making Kevadia a tourism hub.
• Chenab Bridge: World’s highest railway bridge (359 meters high), connects Kashmir to the rest of India.
• Aizawl Rail Line: It uses the innovative Himalayan Tunnelling Method, passing through tunnels and bridges in very tough terrain.
• The new Pamban Bridge: It replaces a century-old structure with modern engineering (first vertical lift sea bridge in India).

Global Leadership:

• Countries like Singapore, France are integrated with UPI.
• The G20 endorsed Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as essential for inclusive growth. Japan has granted a patent for this.
• What started as India’s solution became the world’s template for digital democracy.

Human-Centric Vision:

• The vision of antyodaya drives every digital initiative. For example, UPI works in multiple languages.
• Digital identity and access to services democratized across classes. For example,
  • The poorest farmer has the same digital identity as the richest industrialist.
  • Street vendors and corporate executives use the same UPI platform.

Conclusion:

• Technology as the grammar of governance is India’s defining 21st-century shift.
• From financial inclusion to global space leadership, India’s model integrates scale, speed, and sustainability.
• The challenge ahead lies in -
  • Bridging the digital divide across regions and social groups.
  • Ensuring cybersecurity and data privacy.
  • Building resilient semiconductor and AI ecosystems.
• The current government’s vision demonstrates that when technology meets humanity, nations can leapfrog development stages and provide inclusive, transparent, and efficient governance.