English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Russian
Spanish
Urdu
NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved an extension of the government’s flagship Digital India scheme with an outlay of Rs 14,903 crore for five years, starting FY2021-22 to FY2025-26.
Cybersecurity has been kept as a big focus of the expansion, which includes enhancing the capabilities of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In).
Under the expansion, 5.25 lakh IT professionals will undergo upskilling while 2.65 lakh people will be trained in cybersecurity. The mobile-based Umang application will get 540 more services, up from the current 1,700, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
A portion of the overall outlay will also be used to fund 1,200 start-ups in tier 2 and 3 cities. An awareness programme for cybersecurity will be initiated, with 12 crore people being given a certificate for having undergone the programme.
The government’s DigiLocker platform, which allows access to digital versions of various documents including drivers licences, and vehicle registration certificates, will be expanded to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as a standalone app, using which these entities can get their documents digitally verified.
As part of the National Supercomputing Mission, nine new supercomputers will be added, over the 18 supercomputers that are currently deployed.
Moreover, three centres of excellence will also be set up for research around the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare, agriculture and sustainable living.
