It's time to double down on our digital expansion

India's internet coverage has expanded and successes been noted but we still have plenty of catching up to do with the rest of the world for our ambitions of a digital economy to be met

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It’s noteworthy, the pace at which India’s internet economy has been growing. Yet, it’s stark just how closely its lopsided evolution mirrors our uneven economic expansion on the whole. Increasing internet penetration, widely affordable connectivity and monthly Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments headed above 10 billion (and worth over ₹15 trillion) are examples of the strides we have taken. The promise of basic digital enablers can also count on policy support in the form of data-security once privacy rules come to forge fairer—if not freer—online markets, a balance of scales best struck before forces of demand and supply get free play. We also have an e-com-aligned export policy. All this means we cannot afford to fall behind on broadening our internet base to reach everyone. Take internet users. Cheap data tariffs led a surge from 462 million in 2018 to 759 million users in 2022, a majority of our population, going by data from a report by Kantar and Internet and Mobile Association of India. This number is projected to rise to 900 mil