Kharge calls 10 years of ‘Digital India’ a decade of failures, frauds & false claims
75 % Indians above 15 years do not know how to use computer: Congress chief
New Delhi: On the day the Narendra Modi government’s flagship ‘Digital India’ initiative completed ten years, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has launched a blistering attack, stating that the ambitious programme has delivered more “failures and frauds” than digital empowerment.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Congress chief accuses the Modi government of making lofty claims while hiding glaring gaps in execution, digital access and data security. Digital India is a flagship programme of the government launched on July 1, 2015, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a sharply worded post on his X handle, Kharge accused the Modi government of making lofty claims while hiding glaring gaps in execution, digital access and data security. “The fine print of Modi govt’s lofty claims of ‘Digital India’ is marred by unfulfilled promises, digital exclusion, and weakened transparency,” Kharge wrote.
Citing official data, Kharge highlighted that out of the 6.55 lakh villages targeted for broadband connectivity under the BharatNet project, only 35 per cent have been covered so far, despite the deadline being revised eight times over 11 years. “Only 766 Gram Panchayats — just 0.73 per cent — have active Wi-Fi services,” he noted.
Kharge didn’t stop at infrastructure failures. He accused the Modi government of digitally excluding the poor and marginalised. Quoting National Sample Surveys data, he said 75.3 per cent of Indians above 15 years still do not know how to use a computer, including 81.9 per cent in rural areas. “Even today, 54 per cent of government schools don’t have an Internet connection, 79 per cent have no computers, and 85 per cent lack smart classrooms,” he said.
Raising concerns about data security, Kharge claimed that India has witnessed over 10 crore cyberattacks since the Pahalgam incident.
He also accused the ruling government of undermining transparency, citing the weakening of the RTI Act and replacing it with a “flawed” Data Protection Law.
Taking a swipe at the BJP for taking credit for initiatives launched by previous governments, Kharge reminded that it was Dr Manmohan Singh government that laid the foundation for Aadhaar and Direct Benefit Transfers.
