Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh on Thursday, 2 July 2026, praised the Digital India programme, saying technology has transformed everyday tasks that once required long queues and paperwork into processes completable on a mobile phone within minutes.

Context

Posting on X, Giriraj Singh wrote in Hindi: 'पहले कई कामों के लिए लंबी कतारें और कागजी प्रक्रियाएं थीं, आज वही काम मोबाइल से कुछ ही मिनटों में हो रहे हैं' ('Earlier, many tasks required long queues and paperwork; today those same tasks are done on a mobile in just a few minutes'). He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership for making technology a tool of convenience for the common citizen. The post coincides with the period around 1 July, the anniversary of the formal launch of the Digital India programme in 2015.

Policy Backdrop

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Digital India programme on 1 July 2015 with the stated aim of transforming India into a digitally empowered society by delivering public services electronically and reducing dependence on paper-based processes. A key pillar of the initiative has been the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), introduced by the National Payments Corporation of India in 2016, which enabled real-time digital transactions and became central to the programme's goals. The broader push since 2014 has integrated Aadhaar-linked services, direct benefit transfers, and online portals across ministries, with the stated objectives of reducing corruption and lowering transaction costs for citizens.

Giriraj Singh specifically highlighted three pillars of the initiative's reach: digital payments, access to health services, and new opportunities for small business owners — groups the government has consistently cited as primary beneficiaries of the programme's expansion.

Stakeholders and Impact

The Digital India programme has been designed to serve crores of ordinary citizens, with particular emphasis on rural communities and small traders who previously faced barriers of distance, paperwork, and limited banking access. Mobile-first delivery of government services has been positioned as a leveller, allowing users in remote areas to access welfare schemes, health records, and payment systems without visiting a government office. Small business owners, whom Singh explicitly mentioned, have benefited from digital payment infrastructure that reduced cash-handling costs and expanded their customer base.

What's Next

The government's next-phase priorities for Digital India include expanded 5G network coverage and the rollout of health identity cards under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, which aims to link every citizen's medical records to a unique digital ID. Parliamentary discussions around a proposed Data Protection framework are also expected to shape how digital platforms used by small traders and citizens handle personal data. Singh's post, tagged #DigitalIndia and #RisingIndia, reflects the ruling party's continued effort to frame the programme as a cornerstone of governance ahead of future electoral cycles.