Firstpost
  • Home
  • Video Shows
    Vantage Firstpost America Firstpost Africa First Sports
  • World
    US News
  • Explainers
  • News
    India Opinion Cricket Tech Entertainment Sports Health Photostories
  • Asia Cup 2025
Apple Incorporated Modi ji Justin Trudeau Trending

Sections

  • Home
  • Live TV
  • Videos
  • Shows
  • World
  • India
  • Explainers
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Cricket
  • Health
  • Tech/Auto
  • Entertainment
  • Web Stories
  • Business
  • Impact Shorts

Shows

  • Vantage
  • Firstpost America
  • Firstpost Africa
  • First Sports
  • Fast and Factual
  • Between The Lines
  • Flashback
  • Live TV

Events

  • Raisina Dialogue
  • Independence Day
  • Champions Trophy
  • Delhi Elections 2025
  • Budget 2025
  • US Elections 2024
  • Firstpost Defence Summit
Trending:
  • Nepal protests
  • Nepal Protests Live
  • Vice-presidential elections
  • iPhone 17
  • IND vs PAK cricket
  • Israel-Hamas war
fp-logo
Budget 2018: Arun Jaitley's fifth full budget is not just farmer-friendly but is for Digital India too
Whatsapp Facebook Twitter
Whatsapp Facebook Twitter
Apple Incorporated Modi ji Justin Trudeau Trending

Sections

  • Home
  • Live TV
  • Videos
  • Shows
  • World
  • India
  • Explainers
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Cricket
  • Health
  • Tech/Auto
  • Entertainment
  • Web Stories
  • Business
  • Impact Shorts

Shows

  • Vantage
  • Firstpost America
  • Firstpost Africa
  • First Sports
  • Fast and Factual
  • Between The Lines
  • Flashback
  • Live TV

Events

  • Raisina Dialogue
  • Independence Day
  • Champions Trophy
  • Delhi Elections 2025
  • Budget 2025
  • US Elections 2024
  • Firstpost Defence Summit
  • Home
  • Business
  • Budget 2018: Arun Jaitley's fifth full budget is not just farmer-friendly but is for Digital India too

Budget 2018: Arun Jaitley's fifth full budget is not just farmer-friendly but is for Digital India too

Suresh Venkatachari • February 5, 2018, 11:55:13 IST
Whatsapp Facebook Twitter

Arun Jaitley has doubled allocation on Digital India programme to Rs 3,073 crore in 2018-19 in his Budget speech

Advertisement
Subscribe Join Us
Add as a preferred source on Google
Prefer
Firstpost
On
Google
Budget 2018: Arun Jaitley's fifth full budget is not just farmer-friendly but is for Digital India too

Ever since the Narendra Modi-led government took the charge in May 2014, the most repeated and reiterated theme has been India’s transformation as a digital nation. Aside from the very campaign of Digital India and Bharat Net programmes, harsh steps like demonetisation were also announced to push this digital dream further. No wonder, even in a pro-Bharat pre-election budget too, the government continued to pump in steam in desired dose into our journey towards a digital world. With all due respect for the measures taken for the farm, education and health sectors, the budget should also be seen as a positive statement on India’s resolve to transform itself into a digital nation, on par with the developed world, by adopting new cutting edge technologies and moving into 5G. This time, Finance Minister Arun Jaitely has not just picked up from where he left in the last budget to push digitisation, but went a few steps further to enable India catch up with the rest of the world by adopting the new technologies. [caption id=“attachment_4332865” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]A file image of FM Arun Jaitley. A file image of FM Arun Jaitley.[/caption] First, he has doubled the allocation on the Digital India program to Rs 3,073 crore in 2018-19, so that campaign goes uninterrupted. It is an achievement that the Bharat Net programme in its first phase has already covered 2.5 lakh villages. Given the commitment, the government can smoothly reach its target of setting up 5 lakh Wi-Fi hotspots which will provide broadband access to 5 crore rural citizens. A whopping Rs 10,000 crore allocation for augmenting telecom infrastructure will go a long way to hook entire India to the dream digital highway. Budget says that the Bharat Net project will connect 2.5 lakh gram panchayats by March 2019. Secondly, the government has to be applauded for giving due attention to pursue Digital India dream in the budget that was expected to be a populist and pro-farmer statement. The budget showed the commitment of the government to move towards an ‘inclusive digital country’, where rural India also gets its share along with the urban world. What was more exciting to me in the budget was the intent shown to acknowledge and assimilate the new waves in digital world. Robotics, artificial intelligence, internet of things, blockchain technology and big data for the first time got due attention from the government and it clearly shows that the government is not agnostic to the new digital technologies. The measures for further thrust on digital intensity to graduate from black board to digital board, push for a knowledge society, proposed programme to streamline the efforts in cutting edge technologies like AI, machine learning, 3D printing, IoT etc, establishing 5G test bed at Chennai IIT, mission on cyber physical systems, stress on big data analysis etc all augur well for India. Adoption of these technologies will surely put India on top with the developed countries. The global economy is transforming into digital and India cannot lag behind. Technology will be the biggest trigger for India to emerge as one of the top three powerful economies. Given all these positives, the present budget should not be seen just as a populist Bharat-friendly one, but also be viewed as a one for Digital India. Suresh Venkatachari is Chairman & CEO, 8K Miles Software Services Ltd. Click here for full coverage of Union Budget 2018.

Tags
Narendra Modi Arun Jaitley Economic Reform farmers digitisation Demonetisation Digital India union budget 2018 budget 2018 agriculture 2018 economy 2018
End of Article
Latest News
Find us on YouTube
Subscribe
End of Article

Top Stories

Israel targets top Hamas leaders in Doha; Qatar, Iran condemn strike as violation of sovereignty

Israel targets top Hamas leaders in Doha; Qatar, Iran condemn strike as violation of sovereignty

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India's next vice-president?

Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India's next vice-president?

Israel informed US ahead of strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, says White House

Israel informed US ahead of strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, says White House

Israel targets top Hamas leaders in Doha; Qatar, Iran condemn strike as violation of sovereignty

Israel targets top Hamas leaders in Doha; Qatar, Iran condemn strike as violation of sovereignty

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India's next vice-president?

Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India's next vice-president?

Israel informed US ahead of strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, says White House

Israel informed US ahead of strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, says White House

Top Shows

Vantage Firstpost America Firstpost Africa First Sports
Latest News About Firstpost
Most Searched Categories
  • Web Stories
  • World
  • India
  • Explainers
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Cricket
  • Tech/Auto
  • Entertainment
  • IPL 2025
NETWORK18 SITES
  • News18
  • Money Control
  • CNBC TV18
  • Forbes India
  • Advertise with us
  • Sitemap
Firstpost Logo

is on YouTube

Subscribe Now

Copyright @ 2024. Firstpost - All Rights Reserved

About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Terms Of Use
Home Video Shorts Live TV