India’s decade-long push to integrate technology across its economy, governance, and public services has positioned the country as a global leader in digital transformation, financial inclusion, and strategic innovation. Over the last eleven years, major policy initiatives and infrastructure investments have expanded internet access, boosted digital transactions, and strengthened India’s capabilities in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and space exploration. The scale and speed of this transformation have drawn international attention, as India emerges not only as one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies but also as a centre for technology-driven development.
A key driver of this progress has been the sustained policy focus on reaching underserved and rural populations through technology. From the rollout of high-speed mobile networks to digital literacy programmes, the government has prioritised bringing digital tools and services to communities previously excluded from the benefits of modern technology. This approach has helped expand financial services, streamline welfare distribution, and improve access to public services, while also laying the groundwork for self-reliance in critical sectors such as semiconductors and defence manufacturing.
Much of this transformation aligns with the broader vision articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has repeatedly emphasised the role of technology as a tool for inclusive growth and national development. Modi’s government has pursued policies aimed at building digital infrastructure, promoting domestic technology industries, and ensuring that digital services are accessible to all citizens, regardless of geography or income level. His leadership has been instrumental in pushing for large-scale projects such as Digital India, BharatNet, and the India Semiconductor Mission, which together form the backbone of the country’s technological ambitions.
India emerges as global leader in digital inclusion and innovation
Under Modi’s administration, the emphasis on technology is closely tied to economic growth and geopolitical positioning. PM Modi Minister has publicly framed technology as both a means of empowering ordinary citizens and a strategic asset that can elevate India’s role on the global stage. By investing in AI research, semiconductor production, and space exploration, the government has sought to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers, boost exports, and project India as a technology-driven power in international forums.
One of the most visible outcomes of India’s digital transition is the widespread adoption of digital payments. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has transformed how transactions are conducted, making real-time payments a part of everyday life for hundreds of millions of Indians. In March 2025 alone, UPI processed more than 18.3 billion transactions valued at approximately USD 297 billion. The platform, used by nearly 460 million individuals and 65 million merchants, now accounts for nearly half of global real-time digital transactions, according to the 2024 ACI Worldwide Report.
Digital identity has played a central role in facilitating access to services. The Aadhaar system, which provides biometric and demographic identification to residents, has helped streamline banking, welfare delivery, and public service access. As of April 2025, more than 1.41 billion Aadhaar IDs had been issued, making it one of the world’s largest digital identity systems. Aadhaar has been integral to India’s Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) programme, through which more than USD 525 billion has been distributed to beneficiaries, reducing fraud and improving the efficiency of welfare schemes.
Semiconductor projects reduce dependence on imports
Rapid improvements in digital infrastructure have underpinned these developments. Since 2016, India has expanded mobile connectivity at scale, culminating in one of the world’s fastest 5G rollouts. In less than two years, over 474,000 5G Base Transceiver Stations have been installed, with services now covering 99.6% of India’s districts. Affordable mobile data costing just USD 0.11 per GB as of 2022 has driven a surge in internet use, with India’s internet user base growing by 285% over the past eleven years.
The BharatNet initiative has further extended connectivity to rural areas, laying nearly 430,600 miles of optical fibre to connect over 214,000 Gram Panchayats. These efforts have significantly narrowed the digital divide, bringing high-speed internet to communities that previously lacked reliable access. Technology has also reshaped how government services are delivered. The CoWIN platform, developed to manage India’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign, handled the administration of over 2.2 billion vaccine doses, coordinating efforts across government agencies, healthcare providers, and beneficiaries.
The platform’s success has attracted interest from other countries exploring similar models for large-scale public health programmes. In rural areas, Common Services Centres (CSCs) have become vital hubs for accessing government and financial services. With nearly 600,000 CSCs operational, including over 473,000 in Gram Panchayats, the programme has enabled millions to access banking, insurance, education, and telemedicine services at the local level, reducing travel time and improving service delivery.
PMGDISHA and BHASHINI improve digital literacy
Alongside expanding access, the government has prioritized digital literacy and capacity building. The BHASHINI initiative, part of the National Language Translation Mission, uses artificial intelligence to make digital services available in more than 35 Indian languages, helping break down language barriers for millions of users. The Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) has trained over 63.9 million individuals in basic digital skills, making it one of the largest digital literacy campaigns globally.
Efforts to modernise the country’s public sector workforce have also gained traction. The Karmayogi Bharat initiative, delivered through the Integrated Government Online Training (iGOT) portal, has onboarded over 10.7 million civil servants as of May 2025. The platform offers more than 2,500 courses across governance domains, aiming to improve service delivery and align the workforce with national development priorities.
India’s technological ambitions extend beyond digital inclusion to strategic sectors. The IndiaAI Mission, backed by USD 1.27 billion, is building a national ecosystem for AI research, innovation, and ethical deployment. The country’s compute capacity has now surpassed 34,000 GPUs, creating a foundation for AI-driven development in fields ranging from agriculture to defence. In semiconductors, the India Semiconductor Mission, with government funding of USD 9.27 billion, is seeking to establish a domestic manufacturing base and reduce reliance on imports.
Semiconductor projects reduce dependence on imports
As of May 2025, six major projects worth USD 18.9 billion had been approved, including a joint venture between HCL and Foxconn to build a display driver chip manufacturing facility near Jewar Airport in Uttar Pradesh. Defence production has also increased sharply as part of India’s push for self-reliance. The country recorded its highest-ever defence production value of USD 15.9 billion in the 2023-24 fiscal year, a 174% increase compared to 2014-15. The introduction of import restrictions on over 5,500 defence items has encouraged domestic manufacturing of critical components and platforms.
India’s growing technological capabilities are perhaps most visible in its space programme. The Chandrayaan-3 mission, which successfully landed near the Moon’s south pole, made India the first country to achieve such a landing and confirmed the presence of sulphur on the lunar surface. The Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, with a budget of USD 2.43 billion, is expected to launch India’s first astronauts into space in the coming years, marking a major milestone in the country’s space ambitions.
India has also announced plans to establish the Bharatiya Antariksh Station, its own space station, by 2035 and to conduct a manned lunar mission by 2040. The growth of the country’s private space sector, with over 328 startups, is expected to further accelerate innovation and investment in space technologies. These developments have positioned India as a significant player in the global technology landscape, with implications for economic growth, national security, and international partnerships.
India’s policy trajectory suggests continued investment in technology as a strategic priority. For the Modi government, technology is seen not only as a means to deliver services and improve efficiency but also as a critical factor in securing India’s economic future and enhancing its geopolitical influence. With its large population, expanding digital infrastructure, and growing technological capabilities, India is poised to play an increasingly prominent role in shaping the global technology agenda in the years ahead. – By MENA Newswire News Desk.