Essay on Impact of Digital India

Essay

IMPACT OF DIGITAL INDIA

Digital India is a forerunner programme by the Government of India to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. In last decade Government came up with various e-governance initiatives which were citizen centric. However they have not been able to make the desired impact and fulfill desired objectives. In order to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy, current government has come up with an idea of Digital India Programme. The campaign aims to develop a digitally empowered society and to digitally integrate the government departments and the citizens of India. It aims at ensuring the government services are made available to people of India electronically.

The whole process of digitalizing India is much needed one as it catalyses the phase of growth and development in the country. There is a need to digitalize basic facilities and necessities today to remain competitive in the global arena of development and growth. Getting basic amenities from the government like birth, death certificates, paying of water, property, etc. taxes, PDS to citizen and specific facilities like lodging police complaint, application to a government job requires complete digitalization to avoid the impediments that one shall encounter when they are done in conventional way.

Integrating all services provided by the government through digital portals will serve two kinds of purposes: One the government can cater to large number of people in a simple, cost effective, easy way at a short span of time and secondly government can keep track of services that are being provided without much stress. Integrating government services can be achieved through the UIDAI (Aadhar) cards.

Digital India campaign by the government also focuses on the areas of providing internet connectivity to larger extent, digitalizing government offices to avoid “red-tapism”, providing cloud based data services (Digital locker), protecting citizen information (National Cyber Security Policy 2013) by placing data hosting centers in India and improvising the quality and speed of the data services by improvising the telecommunication infrastructure.

India should also concentrate much on cyber security part due to large scale data thefts in PSUs since the whole idea of cyber security is an evolving phenomena, creating a successive competitive environment to the telecoms, safeguarding the citizen’s interest by assuring the privacy on data and limiting the service giants on the use of user data. Digital India aims at providing greater Connectivity and greater access to information so that people can be benefitted with the development and government policies for them.

Another advantage of greater penetration of Information Technology will enable citizens to file grievance online, book tickets online, go through the feedbacks of other tourists which will help them finding nice tourist spot with better hotels. It will also boost economy as nowadays many traders and business houses have gone online to sell their products. It benefits buyers also because these online traders facilitate home delivery of products. People will get more options for a particular product and it will improve competition in market. Also internet connectivity through high speed highways will help students and teachers to find information about any topic, so it is good for education also. People can access government services like Passport Seva, Income Tax Filling, Pan Card application, Submission of electricity Bill etc. which are online. It will make their lives easier and hassle free.

The Vision area of digital India is Infrastructure as Utility to Every Citizen, Governance and Services on Demand and Digital Empowerment of Citizens etc. The Infrastructure as Utility to Every Citizen with High speed internet as a core utility shall be made available in all Gram Panchayats. Cradle to grave digital identity shall be made unique, lifelong, online and authenticable. Mobile phone and Bank account would enable participation in digital and financial space at individual level. It provides an easy access to a Common Service Centre within their locality and a shareable private space on a public domain. In other words, it envisions a safe and secure Cyber-space in the country.

Governance and Services on Demand are seamlessly integrated across departments or jurisdictions to provide easy and a single window access to all persons. The Government services which are available in real time from online and mobile platforms and the citizen entitlements to be available on the Cloud to ensure easy access. Government services digitally transformed for improving Ease of Doing Business. It aims to make the financial transactions above a threshold, electronic and cashless and leveraging GIS (Geographical Information System) for decision support systems and development.

Digital India envisions Digital Empowerment of Citizens with a view to achieving Universal digital literacy. It aims to provide the much needed boost to several pillars of growth like establishing broadband highways, universal access to mobile connectivity, public internet access programme, e-governance, electronic delivery system, information for all etc.

While on one hand government is creating an environment where people can easily access government services on electronic devices so that corruption and loss of data can be handled and efficiency of system can be increased, on the other side the government has come up with a much important initiative called as ‘Green India’ to protect our habitat. Green India aims at protecting, restoring and enhancing forest covers and responding to climate change by combination of adaptation and mitigation measures.

A digital India in full bloom is a behemoth project that requires huge amount of money and resources. However for the larger and enduring prosperity of the country that will be heralded in the aftermath of digitalization of India, it holds good.

Long Essay on Jawaharlal Nehru in English - High School Essay

Long Essay 

Jawaharlal Nehru 

Jawaharlal Nehru was born on November 14, 1889 at Allahabad. His ancestors came from Kashmir and enjoyed the honorific of Pandit, meaning ‘Man of Letters’. He did not attend any school in India. Whatever education he acquired was due to the efforts of English governesses employed by his father to mend him into a gentleman.

    Jawaharlal Nehru left for England in 1905 and joined Harrow. He always felt a misfit there. He was transferred to Trinity College, Cambridge. There he studied chemistry, geology and botany. He had an equal interest for history, literature, politics and economics. When he returned to India, he behaved like a gentleman, but the condition of his motherland and her people moved him.

    He returned to India to discover India. During this time he was influenced by the Satyagraha of Gandhiji. Jawaharlal Nehru married Kamala on February 8, 1916, the day of Basant Panchami. A daughter was born to them on November 19, 1917 who was named Indira, who later became the Prime Minister of India.

    It was in 1916 that Jawaharlal Nehru met Gandhiji for the first time, but he was not much impressed by him. He became the joint secretary of the Home Rule League. However, in 1919, the occurrence of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre brought the two leaders together and in it he saw a great opportunity to serve the motherland. In 1921, he became a complete Gandhist with the Gandhi topi. It was also the year of confrontation with the British. He was arrested this year because he was becoming a popular leader and the government considered him a great threat. With every passing day he continued to take the role of a leader with massive support from the common men. He was considered to be a man of superior qualities. Many of them addressed him as the ‘Prince’.

    In 1929, Motilal Nehru handed over the charge of the Presidentship of the All India Congress Committee to Jawaharlal Nehru, from father to son. Jawaharlal continued to be imprisoned and freed during his struggle for independence. He passed a total of 3262 days in various prisons. An Interim Cabinet was formed under him in September 1946. He assumed the post of the Prime Minister of India on August 15, 1947 and continued on this post until his death on May 27, 1964.

    Jawaharlal Nehru was born in a country under the shackles of the British. He left no stone unturned to bring India to kiss her 'tryst with destiny'. He continued to serve India even after independence and steered India toward economic freedom.

    Jawaharlal Nehru was a man of letters. He has written many books which are world famous — Glimpses of the World History, The Unity of India, A Bunch of Old Letters, and of course, the Discovery of India. The speeches he delivered on various occasions have great literary value. His writings revealed that he was a great statesman, scholar, administrator, historian, humanist and politician. He wanted India to adopt the international outlook so that her culture was made compatible with that of the international community because the world was increasingly becoming a global village.

    Jawaharlal Nehru had a scientific outlook and approach. He foresaw that India could not progress without embracing science in everyday life. It was the reason that he wanted scientists, technocrats and others to come forward in the service of the Indians even when proper facilities could not be provided because of lack of funds. He said that they should be instrumental in developing the required infrastructure that was so necessary for the leap of the nation to the height of scientific achievements. It was the reason that he went for industrial revolution. He was scientific and modern in his outlook.

    He also understood the complexities of the Indian situation and had clear vision as to how to adopt the latest scientific development into the country to achieve optimum results. The heavy industries he went for in the initial period of independence are a witness to his vision.

    Jawaharlal Nehru understood properly that the best suited option for India was a mixture of capitalism and socialism, so he went for mixed economy. It was instrumental in creating the vast infrastructure, based on which we can taste the fruits of development today, though presently, free economy is preferred. This stage would not have been achieved without his emphasis in the beginning. Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Indian leader of international stature who was liked for his ideas and thoughts. He took active interest in the international events. The formation of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1956 was due to his combined efforts with Tito and Nasser. He did not want India to side with either of the two super powers — the US or the USSR (now Russia). But his views on peace were a great debacle. He forgot that to seek peace, one must be strong too. It is his views on forwarding the Kashmir problem to the United Nations and failure to modernise the armed forces that he is criticised most for. India lost the war with China in 1962, chiefly due to lack of preparedness, and is considered a chief demerit of Jawaharlal Nehru.

    His views on the Panchasheel are the cornerstone of India's policy in interaction with the other countries. The Panchasheel outlines the five principles which are enunciated on the Preamble to the Sino-Indian Agreement of 1954. The five principles are :

1. Mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty;
2. Mutual non-aggression;
3. Mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs;
4. Equal and mutual benefit; and
5. Peaceful co-existence.

It cannot be denied that the views of Jawaharlal Nehru on modernisation have helped India a great deal. It was his vision that we are reaping rich dividends today, though a lot still needs to be done. Let us carry on with his legacy and make India the most modern country in the world.

Long Essay on Mahatma Gandhi in English - High School Essay

Long Essay 

 Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is the greatest leader that India has ever produced. He was born at Porbandar, a small coastal town in Kathiawar, Gujarat, on 02 October, 1869. He was the fourth and last child of his father’s fourth and last marriage. His father was the devan for about twenty-eight years in the states of Rajkot, Porbandar and Wankaner and was a renowned figure. His mother, Putlibai, was a good-natured, patient and saintly lady. He was sent to school at the age of seven. He was married to Kasturba at the age of twelve. He completed his matriculation in 1888 and went to England to become a barrister. He scrupulously observed the three vows he had given to his mother regarding abstinence from wine, women and meat. He found it difficult to practise law when he returned to Bombay (now Mumbai) as he had not studied the Indian law. At this time, he went to South Africa to take part in a civil suit in 1893. He had gone there for one year only, but continued to stay there for another 21 years (1893-1914) with intermittent breaks in between. It was in South Africa that he at first tried his ideas of Satyagraha, though without much success.

         Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in 1915. He was then initiated into politics by Gopal Krishna Gokhale. He established a Satyagraha Ashram on the banks of River Sabarmati. He wanted to take part in the Indian Independence Movement, so he travelled extensively to understand the Indian people. He successfully led small, but important, movements in Champaran, Ahmedabad and Kheda to beget the poor workers their due. Now he was fully active in politics.

       In the First World War, Mahatma Gandhi genuinely believed that self-government would be granted to India at the end of the war, so he cooperated with the British, but his hopes were belied. Rather, the Rowlatt Bill, 1919 was imposed. A great tension was created and the things came to a tragic culmination at the Jallianwalah Bagh.

        Mahatma Gandhi thought out the idea of complete break up from the British if the Rowlatt Act was not repealed. The idea of non-cooperation was simple, so it appealed to the masses. He promised to the masses if they non-cooperated with the British non-violently, the self-government would come within twelve months. He so emphatically conveyed the idea of non-cooperation to them that people took it on their personal level. In January, 1922, he gave a week's notice to Lord Reading of mass civil disobedience if government's policy of repression was not changed. The Civil Disobedience Movement finally started on 1 February, 1922 in Bardoli. The movement gained momentum, but an unfortunate incident took place in Chauri Chaura where 22 policemen were burnt alive following their repressive measures. Gandhiji called off the movement as it was to be a non-violent movement, despite opposition from the leaders. He was sent to jail.

        Along side the independence movement, Mahatma Gandhi advocated and started constructive programmes of spinning and weaving khadi, prohibition, working for eradication of untouchability and unity of the Hindus and the Muslims, so that social conditions could be improved.

In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi formulated an 11-point programme for Government’s acceptance, failing which the civil disobedience movement was to be launched. It included total prohibition, reduction in revenue, amendment to the Arms Act, protection of textiles, reservation of coastal shipping for Indians, and abolition of salt tax. It was the last item on which he based his entire Civil Disobedience Movement.

        The Salt Satyagraha started on 12 March, 1930 when Gandhi started from his Sabarmati Ashram with 79 co-workers for Dandi on the coast of the Arabian Sea. This was the historic Dandi March and the beginning of the Civil Disobedience Movement. As he treaded his path, hundreds and thousands of people joined him. He broke the Salt Law by making salt from seawater on 06 April. Therefrom he proceeded to Dharsana to take possession of the salt warehouse, but he was arrested on 5 May. The movement went on nonviolently. He was released in 1931 and took part in negotiations with Lord Irwin. Later he sailed to England to take part in the Second Round Table Conference, but he came back a disappointed man. He resumed his movement again, but was arrested and kept in the Yarvada Prison. The Communal Award was published by the British Government in 1932. It made Mahatma Gandhi take a fast unto death. It culminated into the Poona Pact in which the depressed classes were to get reserved seats. He took another fast for 21 days for purification, at this he was released from prison. Since the Civil Disobedience Movement had been officially withdrawn, he engaged himself in social uplift and constructive programmes.

         The Second World War broke out in 1939. The British Government declared India a party to the war without the consent of the Congress. The Cripps Mission was sent from Britain, but it failed to meet the aspirations of the people since it did not promise self-government at the end of the war. On the other hand, Japan was nearing. Gandhiji felt that the British should quit India to its fate even if it meant anarchy here.

On 08 August, 1942, the AICC met at Bombay and passed the Quit India Resolution which proposed the commencement of a massive non-violent struggle under Gandhiji's leadership. He boldly declared, “We shall either free India or die in the attempt; we shall not live to see the perpetration of our slavery.” He and several other leaders were arrested. Protests and violence erupted. He toured the riot-hit areas from November, 1946 to March, 1947 facing danger to his life from religious fanatics. He undertook fast unto death at the age of 78 years on 2 October to save Calcutta (now Kolkata) to pacify communal hatred. He broke his fast three days later when the leaders of different communities assured him in writing that Calcutta would remain riot free. India gained freedom on 15 August, 1947 amidst news of communal violence and anarchy besides bifurcation of the country into India and Pakistan. It made him spend Independence Day, fasting and spinning. This great son of India, entitled Father of the Nation and Bapu, was shot dead on 30 January, 1948 by a fanatic called Nathuram Godse at Birla House. He fell to the ground with the words ‘Hey Ram’. Thus came the end of the glorious life of Mahatma Gandhi. We can never forget his achievements.