Role of the ‘digital India’ Programme in the rural context: a study at Mautala village in West Bengal, India

It is a well-known fact that ‘Digital India’ is the outcome of many innovations and technological advancements. It has transformed the lives of people in many ways and will empower society for the better. The motive behind this program is to build participative, transparent, and responsive systems. It is the dream project of the Government of India, aimed at remodeling India into a flourishing economy and a digitally empowered society, with good governance for its citizens by bringing synchronization and coordination in public accountability, while digitally connecting and delivering government programmes and services to mobilize the capability of information technology across government departments. Hence, an attempt has been made in this paper to understand Digital India – as a campaign where technologies and connectivity have been coming together to make an impact on all aspects of governance and improve the quality of life of citizens. Technology plays an important role in the development of rural areas. Through the use of technology, rural inhabitants become aware of schemes and benefits being provided to them by the government and other organizations, resulting in growth and an increase in productivity. Increased productivity leads to economic growth. The present study was conducted at Mautala village, South 24 parganas district of West Bengal, in India. The study aimed to understand how the Digital India initiative has affected the rural landscape with a focus on a particular village. The findings of the study indicate that even though villagers of Mautala are aware of the various schemes under the Digital India initiative, only a minimal percentage of them have availed of the facilities and benefitted from them. This indicates a lack of proper infrastructure in the implementation of these schemes, something that the Government of India needs to look into.