Digital bridge to growth

Digital is not just about technology implementation. It encompasses the transformation of business, enterprises and governments using technology, so as to make experiences better, communication effective and work simpler. Thus far, digital has been characterised by four aspects—social media, mobility, analytics and cloud— commonly called SMAC.

For the government, the shift to digital has primarily been about transparency and reach—taking services and resources in the healthcare, education and financial sectors to the rural population of India. While ambitious, these efforts mark a major paradigm shift in the planning of governance and service delivery.

The rising levels of digitisation and digital adoption, though noteworthy, are still not sufficient to bring the bottom layers of the pyramid under the coverage of digital benefits. This is a global challenge and impacts both developed and developing nations, albeit to varying degrees. Economic (extreme poverty) and social (high degree of illiteracy) factors are often universal, while India has some unique challenges of its own, accentuated by its vast geography and diversity of language.

Digital is uplifting our country towards advancement and filling gaps owing to physical infrastructure. With digital, government services are reaching citizens in the remotest of locations. For instance, farmers are receiving weather updates on their phones, which is helping them plan their agricultural activities. Pregnant women, health workers and parents are receiving informative messages on pregnancy, childbirth and child through the Kilkari mobile application. Thus, digital and technology are playing a crucial role in ensuring the efficient last mile delivery of services to citizens.

With digital ushering in a significant transformation in India, there are several opportunities for US firms to foray into the Indian digital space. There could not be a better time to venture into a market which is witnessing massive activity to fulfil the vision of Digital India and smart cities. Digitisation and technology are bringing several incredible opportunities for US players to drive citizen engagement and create jobs while transforming the lives of billions of Indians.