Need mindset change for Digital India success: Pitroda

According to tech entrepreneur Sam Pitroda, various departments, including that of Information Technology, still continue to work manually and need a change in mindset before the government's much-touted Digital India plan can yield benefits.

Pitroda, who served as the technology adviser to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, said to reporters that,

There is nothing new in Digital India. The effort is the same that was going on earlier; all we are now doing is to build a base on that. Today, technology is very different, so the process should expedite. It has noting to do with political slogans. The foundation was laid a long time back. It takes time.

Pitroda was here to deliver a speech on "Digital India and National Development," organised by the Gujarat chapter of Institution of Engineers (India). He said, however, that the Digital India project, launched by Narendra Modi, will benefit the people.

Pitroda also stated that one should not forget the efforts that went into the digitisation process in the past, when the government started thinking about ways to improve its interaction with citizens. In his speech, recounting how his efforts and support from the then government, led by Manmohan Singh, made it possible to build an optical fiber network, he shared,

A lot of things went into making Digital India. An average person only realises that it has come only now.

Pitroda was also adviser to Singh on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovation.

The digitisation process to improve governance through computers started almost 30 years ago globally, and in the course of time, things have changed a lot. The idea first was to use computers for government planning processes. As computer prices went down, the idea was to use network between government and citizens, rather than within the government, he added.

Also read : Pitroda says not Modi but Rajiv Gandhi started Digital India

Pitroda further said that while each government department wants digitisation, many continue to work manually.

Even in this Digital India effort, every government department still uses manual systems. Even the department of Information Technology does not use electronic systems. They all want budget, computers, but do not want to change. If you really want to benefit from Digital India, you have to first change your mindset, he said.