New Delhi, July 16: When the world questioned how a tea seller or a vegetable vendor could use digital payments, but today that dream has come true — UPI payments have surpassed Visa transactions, Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said on Sunday.
Addressing a packed hall at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre here on the occasion of 10 years of Digital India, he said that this is the strength of 1.4 billion Indians. The celebration highlighted India’s inspiring journey from being a digitally divided nation to becoming the world’s third-largest digital economy.
At the heart of this transformation is the CSC network, a rural digital infrastructure that now reaches nearly 90 per cent of villages in the country — empowering people at the grassroots level. Minister Vaishnaw praised the efforts of lakhs of Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs), who have made digital services accessible even in the remotest corners of India.
He shared stories of women like Manjulata from Odisha’s Mayurbhanj and Rose Angelina from Meghalaya’s East West Khasi Hills. These women overcame tough circumstances, embraced digital skills, and transformed lives in their communities through CSC centres. The Minister also made some big announcements to further boost the Digital India mission.
He said that free artificial intelligence training will be provided to 10 lakh individuals, giving priority to all VLEs. He also urged all CSCs to offer IRCTC ticketing services and promised to work with Chief Ministers to link state IT agencies with CSC-SPV. Union Minister of State Jitin Prasada also addressed the event and lauded the massive growth of CSCs — from just 83,000 centres in 2014 to nearly 5.5 lakh centres today.
He emphasised the importance of digital empowerment and the key role of women VLEs — more than 74,000 women are now leading centres across India. Prasada also underlined the need to focus on cybersecurity, awareness, and capacity building in vital sectors like health, agriculture, and education. He recommended allowing CSCs to deliver more services, like Update Client Lite and state government schemes, to improve VLE income.
IANS