From vision to reality: Digital India and Antyodaya journey

A couple of months ago, I met a senior European Minister in Delhi. She was amazed by Bharat’s digital payment revolution. What struck her most was how people across India were making payments using mobile phones.

- Ashwini Vaishnaw

From small villages to big cities, everyone — from tea vendors to shopkeepers — was using digital payments with ease.

But she had one question: How did India achieve this scale, with so much diversity in language and geography?

I showed her a ₹500 currency note. The words ‘Five Hundred Rupees’ appear in 17 languages. It's simple but a powerful symbol of Bharat’s diversity. And under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, this diversity has been bridged through technology and turned into our biggest strength.

It is this spirit of inclusion that defines our approach to technology, reflecting the key philosophy of our Prime Minister: Democratising access and making technology work for all.

From payment alerts on the speaker at the shop to instant SMS confirmations, the system is designed to be barrier-free and straightforward. BHIM (an UPI-enabled payment system) works in 20 languages, UMANG (for government services) in 13 languages — all reflecting the same spirit of inclusion.

As we celebrate 10 years of the Digital India programme, this transformation stands as a proud example. We have come a long way, and our opportunities are immense. The dream of Antyodaya — reaching the last person with dignity and opportunity — continues to guide us.

India Stack

The journey began with a clear idea enunciated by PM Modi 10 years ago — to build population scale digital infrastructure that serves everyone, not just a few. This led to the creation of what the world today recognises as the India Stack.

At the heart is Aadhaar, the world’s largest biometric identity system. It gives 1.4 billion people a unique digital identity. Every day, over 90 million Aadhaar authentications take place, enabling access to essential services with speed and trust.