MeitY holds a meeting with state IT secys on Digital India initiatives

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Wednesday held a meeting with IT secretaries of states and union territories (UTs) to deliberate on Digital India Initiatives for ease of living and ease of doing business in FY24. 

The meeting chaired by MeitY Secretary Alkesh Kumar Sharma focused on announcements made during the union budget FY2023-24. Secretaries from all 28 states and union territories presented their plans in the areas of electronics manufacturing as well as the latest initiatives being taken by them for furthering digitalisation for the welfare of citizens.

According to Budget estimates, the Centre may allocate Rs 16,549.04 crore for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the agencies that work under it. The allocation is against the Revised Estimate of Rs 11,719.95 crore in FY23.

“The government has proposed several important schemes for the technology-driven welfare of the people during the budget. States have their own schemes to complement this. So it was important that all of us are on the same page,” said a source present at the meeting.

The meeting discussed future roadmap on eGovernance projects such as Aadhaar-based address update, creation of Entity DigiLocker, emerging technology, digital government policies, secured cloud solutions chips to startup program, and national blockchain framework.

Among the important programs proposed in the budget are the skill-development initiative scheme, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0 extended to provide new-age courses for Industry 4.0 like coding, AI, robotics, mechatronics, IOT, 3D printing, drones, and soft skills. The central government is also going to set up 100 labs in engineering institutions to realise a new range of opportunities, business models, and employment potential in the high-speed 5G internet.

Aadhaar and DigiLocker -- the foundational platforms for identification and authentication -- will now be used to develop a “one-stop solution” for reconciling and updating the identity and address of individuals maintained by various government agencies, regulators, and regulated entities, said the Budget.