Empowering India Through Vikshit Bharat: Unleashing the Potential of Technology
By Mr. Gaurav Sahay
“Vikshit Bharat,” is a tangible goal that can be achieved through transformative power of technology. Innovation drives progress and India stands poised to leverage technology as catalyst for inclusive growth across all sectors, bridging sectoral divide and unleashing opportunities. At the core of Vikshit Bharat lies the imperative of building a robust digital infrastructure that serves as the backbone of a modern economy, which under Vikshit Bharat is a cornerstone of India’s journey towards becoming a technologically empowered nation across the spectrum. At the heart of digital infrastructure is augmenting connectivity and self-reliance Initiatives.
Leveraging technologies like fibre optics, satellite internet, and wireless networks, initiatives like BharatNet, aims to connect remote areas enabling access to digital services, education, e-commerce, and government services, while vide Make in India, Digital India aims to promote domestic manufacturing, reduce costs, and increase affordability. Strengthening e-governance infrastructure, is another crucial aspect of digital infrastructure development. Initiatives such as Digital India aim to digitize government services, streamline administrative processes, and improve service delivery to citizens.
Full Stack Digital platforms such as the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Aadhaar-enabled services, and DigiLocker provide secure and convenient access to various government services and documents online, enhancing transparency. Under Vikshit Bharat, bringing millions of unbanked underserved individuals into formal banking system, promoting financial inclusion, expanding access to banking services are Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS), and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) have revolutionized digital payments and financial transactions in India. It addresses challenges of affordability, geographical barrier, and language diversity.
With growth of digital infrastructure, cybersecurity and data privacy becomes inevitable.
India is strengthening its cybersecurity framework, enhance capabilities for cyber threat detection and response, and promote cybersecurity awareness among citizens and businesses. One of such manifestation of efforts is ‘The Digital Personal Data Protection Act’ that aims to regulate the collection, storage, and processing of personal data, safeguarding the privacy rights of individuals in the digital realm.
Cornerstone of digital infrastructure under Vikshit Bharat, is ‘education’ with the potential to revolutionize learning for millions of Indian.
Education and skill development are fundamental pillars of Vikshit Bharat, laying groundwork for empowerment, economic growth, and national development. Vikshit Bharat emphasizes the use of digital learning platforms to fill out access to education. These platforms cater to diverse learning styles and preferences, enabling students to learn anytime, anywhere, and at their own pace. Skill development programs, vocational training courses, and apprenticeship schemes offer hands-on learning experiences and industry-relevant skills in sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, and hospitality. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is critical for fostering innovation, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills among students. Vikshit Bharat promotes STEM education initiatives, including coding workshops, robotics competitions, and science fairs, to nurture a generation of future innovators and technologists. With the knowledge, skills, and capabilities thriving in the digital age, contribution to nation’s socio-economic development, education and skill development are central to India’s vision of Vikshit Bharat.
Digital infrastructure holds the potential of democratizing access to quality healthcare, improve health, reduce costs, and ensure access to timely and affordable healthcare. Healthcare innovation under Vikshit Bharat is pivotal in transforming India’s healthcare landscape. Telemedicine, wearable health monitoring devices, AI-powered diagnostics – can bridge the gap in healthcare access, particularly in rural areas with limited medical infrastructure. The promotion of telemedicine platforms and teleconsultation services, connecting patients with healthcare providers, Digital health records and Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) facilitate seamless continuity of patient-centric healthcare. Vikshit Bharat encourages adoption of electronic health record systems, enabling access to patients’ medical history, reports, and treatment. This enhances coordination, reduce medical errors, and empower patients participate in healthcare decisions. Vikshit Bharat promotes the use of wearable health technologies to provide real-time health insights, early detection of health issues, and personalized interventions, empowering individuals to proactively manage their health and well-being. Vikshit Bharat further encourages the integration of AI-powered diagnostic tools, enabling image recognition software, predictive analytics models, and decision support systems, into clinical practice which value adds accuracy, turnaround time, and optimize resource utilization, enhancing healthcare efficiency. Vikshit Bharat emphasizes the use of healthcare analytics platforms and population health management tools for decision-making, resource allocation, and preventive healthcare interventions. Health Information Exchange (HIE) under Vikshit Bharat, facilitates interoperability and data sharing across the healthcare ecosystem to ensure, secure, standardized efficient management. Vikshit Bharat also encourages the development of Mobile health (mHealth) applications to empower patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers with tools and resources for managing health and wellness to promote patient engagement, adherence to treatment plans, and proactive health management, improving health outcomes and quality of life.
Vikshit Bharat advocates development of robust digital regulations and standards to build a healthier and more prosperous nation.
Agriculture remains the backbone of the Indian economy. Vikshit Bharat aims at enhancing productivity, ensuring food security, and improving the livelihoods of farmers. Technology plays a transformative role and smart techniques that can boost productivity, enhance crop yields, and mitigate impact of climate change. Vikshit Bharat promotes the adoption of smart farming, precision agriculture, digital farming tools, and sensor-based monitoring systems via GPS, drones, and satellite imagery to optimize inputs, monitor soil health, and enhance resource management. With real-time data on weather conditions, crop performance, pest infestations, informed decision maximizes yields. Water scarcity poses a significant challenge. Vikshit Bharat advocates adoption of drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers, optimizing water usage by delivering water directly to the root of plants, reducing wastage, minimizing soil erosion and conserving water, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promotes sustainable land management. Vikshit Bharat encourages the development and adoption of digital agricultural platforms that provide access to market prices, weather forecasts, best practices, and advisory vide applications, SMS, and IVR. Vikshit Bharat promotes access to formal credit and agri-finance schemes, such as Kisan Credit Card (KCC), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), and Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF).
Agricultural modernization under Vikshit Bharat is imperative for transforming Indian agriculture into a dynamic, resilient, and sustainable sector driveing economic growth, food security, and rural development.
Environmental sustainability is a pressing global challenge and under Vikshit Bharat it is integral to India’s vision of holistic development – economic growth with ecological conservation and stewardship. Vikshit Bharat aims to address environmental sustainability through transition to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro, and biomass to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Through initiatives like the National Solar Mission and the Wind Energy Mission, India aims to increase the share of renewable energy in its energy mix. By investing in renewable energy infrastructure and promoting clean energy technologies, Vikshit Bharat accelerates the transition towards a low-carbon economy while enhancing energy security and resilience.
Energy efficiency and conservation are essential components of Vikshit Bharat’s environmental sustainability agenda. Vikshit Bharat incentivizes energy-efficient practices through schemes like the Perform, Achieve, and Trade (PAT) scheme and the Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC), driving energy savings and environmental benefits across sectors. Vikshit Bharat further promotes sustainable transportation solutions to reduce air pollution, congestion, and carbon emissions from the transport sector. Initiatives such as the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) aim adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), expand EV charging infrastructure, investments in public transportation, cycling infrastructure, and pedestrian-friendly urban design, contributing to cleaner air and healthier cities.
Sustainable water resource management is critical under Vikshit Bharat which focuses on water conservation, rainwater harvesting, watershed management, and efficient irrigation practices to enhance water security and resilience. Initiatives like the Jal Jeevan Mission aim to provide piped water supply to all rural households, promoting access to safe and sustainable drinking water sources. Vikshit Bharat prioritizes biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration to protect India’s rich natural heritage. Conservation initiatives, such as the National Biodiversity Mission and the Green India Mission, promote habitat conservation, species protection, and sustainable land management practices. Ecosystem restoration projects, including afforestation, wetland conservation, and mangrove restoration, restore degraded ecosystems, sequester carbon, and enhance resilience to climate change impacts.
Smart infrastructure investments and policy-making processes along with effective governance and a robust policy framework are essential for implementing Vikshit Bharat’s sustainability goals. The vision of Vikshit Bharat is within reach, and technology serves as the key enabler for its realization as a global leader. With concerted efforts and strategic investments in technology-driven initiatives, India can chart a course towards sustainable development, inclusive growth, and prosperity for all.
(The author is Mr. Gaurav Sahay, Practice Head (Technology & General Corporate), Fox Mandal & Associates, and the views expressed in this article are his own)
