As India moves toward its $5 trillion economy goal, new frontiers are emerging: AI-enabled governance, decentralised commerce, and multilingual, mobile-first digital services that can reach the last person in the line

Over the past decade, India has undergone a digital revolution that is nothing short of extraordinary. What began as a series of targeted technological interventions has now evolved into a sweeping transformation, touching nearly every aspect of Indian life — economy, governance, education, healthcare, commerce, and even the lives of farmers and small entrepreneurs in the remotest corners of the country. This journey has not been accidental.

It has been carefully stewarded by the Government of India through a combination of bold policymaking, cross-ministerial collaboration, and a commitment to inclusive growth. While the line ministries — such as the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the Ministry of Agriculture, and others — have executed large-scale projects on the ground, NITI Aayog has served as the policy engine, fostering convergence, driving thought leadership, and nudging the system toward scalable, citizen-first innovations.

A major inflection point came with the rollout of the Jan Dhan–Aadhaar–Mobile (JAM) trinity. With over 55 crore bank accounts opened, millions who were previously excluded from the financial system suddenly gained access to banking and direct benefit transfers. In a small........

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