Digital & Emerging Tech is a strategic concept and a key focus area of the Indian government's efforts to transform the nation into a knowledge economy. It refers to the application of advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), and Quantum Computing to drive economic growth and societal change.
The overarching framework for this concept is the Digital India mission, which was launched on July 1, 2015, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The mission's origin lies in the need to bridge the digital divide and transform the country into a "digitally empowered society and knowledge economy".
The mechanism works through three key vision areas: providing digital infrastructure as a utility, delivering governance and services on demand, and digitally empowering citizens. This is realized by building Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), such as the unique digital identity system Aadhaar, the payment interface UPI, and the document management platform DigiLocker. The program is primarily coordinated by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
The concept connects to other national initiatives like Make in India and Startup India. It is also closely linked to the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, which provides the regulatory framework for data governance. The NITI Frontier Tech Hub was established by NITI Aayog to anticipate and strategize on these frontier technologies.
The program has seen recent changes and expansions, including the approval of an extension with a total outlay of approximately ₹14,903 crore for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26. A major recent focus is the IndiaAI initiative, which includes the establishment of three AI centres of excellence in premier educational institutions, as outlined in the FY 2022-23 Union Budget. Furthermore, ₹8,000 crore was allocated in the 2020-21 budget for the National Mission on Quantum Computing and Technology.