Decoding Digital India’s Decade & New Energy Stack – Must-Know for Exams

Digital India: A Decade of Transformation
Launched on July 1, 2015, Digital India is the government’s flagship program to build a digitally empowered society. Far beyond a policy, it’s become a people’s movement. From limited internet access in 2014, India now boasts:
Third-largest digital economy globally (ICRIER 2024 Report)
1.23 crore GSTN taxpayers
6 crore rural citizens digitally literate (PMGDISHA)

9 Pillars of Digital India:
Nationwide broadband highways
Universal mobile connectivity
Public internet access
e-Governance reforms
e-Kranti service delivery
Open data for citizens
Electronics manufacturing boost
IT job creation
Early harvest programs (e.g., digital signatures)

Key Milestones:
BHIM UPI (2016): Revolutionized mobile payments
Aarogya Setu (2020): Pandemic response app
Digital India BHASHINI (2022): Multilingual internet access
ONDC (2022): National e-commerce network


India Energy Stack: Power Sector’s Digital Leap
Inspired by UPI’s success, the India Energy Stack (IES) aims to digitally integrate India’s fragmented power sector. A 17-member task force led by Nandan Nilekani will design this roadmap.

Why IES Matters:
Solves 4 critical challenges:
No unique IDs for consumers/assets
Lack of real-time harmonized data
Scaling barriers for innovators
Zero interoperability between systems
Enables peer-to-peer energy trading and renewable integration
Complements concurrent electricity governance (Centre + States)


Digital Agriculture Mission (2024)
With ₹2,817 crore funding, this mission focuses on:
AgriStack: Farmer ID linked to land/crop data
Krishi DSS: AI-driven crop/soil/weather analytics
Soil Mapping: 142 million hectares surveyed
Digital Crop Estimates: Real-time yield predictions


Why This Matters for Exams
Government schemes like Digital India and India Energy Stack are UPSC favorites. Recent trends show:
Direct questions on Digital India pillars in 2023 Prelims
Mains essays on “Digital Governance” (2022)
Case studies on DPI (Digital Public Infrastructure)


Sample Exam Questions
Q: Which pillar of Digital India focuses on electronic service delivery?
A: e-Kranti
Q: What is the primary goal of India Energy Stack?
A: Digitally integrate power producers, grids, and consumers for efficient energy distribution.
Q: PMGDISHA aims to digitally literate how many rural households?
A: 6 crore
Q: Which registry under AgriStack tracks crop-sown data?
A: Crop Sown Registry
Q: Which report ranked India 3rd in digital economy growth?
A: ICRIER’s State of India’s Digital Economy Report (2024)