Ban on 59 Chinese apps great opportunity for Indians: Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that the recently banned 59 Chinese applications leave a great opportunity for Indians to come up with their own applications. He said that the digital journey has focused on empowerment, inclusion and digital transformation. He was addressing a video conference marking the celebration of 5 years of the Digital India Programme in New Delhi on Wednesday.

He said, its positive impact is being felt in all aspects of the lives of Indian citizens. He was addressing a video conference marking the celebration of 5 years of the Digital India Programme in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The Minister said Digital India’s initiatives like Aarogya Setu, E-Sanjeevani, sensitisation through MyGov and Social media platforms have also played a pivotal role during the COVID-19 situation.

The Union Minister pointed out that the number of e-Services have increased from 2,463 in 2014 to 3,858 till May 2020 and daily average electronic transactions have increased from 66 lakh in 2014 to 16.3 crore in 2020.

He said that Aadhaar has been issued to 125.7 crore residents and 4,216 crore authentications have been facilitated.

Emphasizing the Digital India’s initiatives during the COVID-19 situation, such as Aarogya Setu App, Union Minister Prasad informed that it has helped to identify over 350 COVID-19 hotspots.

He reiterated that Digital India’s achievements can be attributed to the united efforts of Central and State Governments, Industries and Academia.