Democratising tech: Congress, BJP trying to better each other

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, after releasing their election manifestos, are deploying all their resources to best each other on promises of democratising technology.

Along with assurances of better infrastructure, jobs, and education, among other things, the two are pushing their agendas on digitising services, new economy, start-up culture and entrepreneurship. BJP polishes its crown jewel ‘Digital India’, Congress calls it a colossal failure. 

Bullish on the success of its ‘Digital India’ initiative, the Narendra Modi-led BJP government on Monday released its election manifesto, which charts its Vision 2022 master plan.

The push to ‘going digital’, a key component in the government’s last five full Budgets and one interim Budget, is visible in the party’s election manifesto. Starting with agriculture, social services, education, defence, pushing digital cash to connecting every gram panchayat with the internet, the party is taking its 2014 agenda further.

Rolling in tech into agriculture and digital governance seems to be one of the primary focus areas of the government. Completing the digitisation of land records, online dispersal of Kisan Credit Card loans for up to Rs 1 lakh at a zero per cent interest rate for one to five years, enough markets for realisation of minimum support price via e-NAM, GrAMs and the Pradhan Mantri AASHA Yojana are some of the plans that the BJP is planning to work on.

The manifesto also plans to set up a committee for Easing Citizens’ Interactions with Government  under its digital governance progra­mme. It plans to work with experts in making interactions of citizens as well as industry better.

The Digital India campaign was envisaged as an umbrella scheme that encompassed many aspects to make India a digital-first society. The initial outlay was Rs 1 lakh crore in the ongoing scheme and Rs 13,000 crore in new schemes. 

The Congress manifesto called the BJP government’s flagship schemes — Digital India, Startup India and Make in India — “colossal failures”. A big focus of the Rahul Gandhi-led party is to encourage and incentivise businesses, the Congress manifesto claims.

Start-ups 

The BJP manifesto says it will introduce a scheme of giving collateral-free credit of up to Rs 50 lakh for entrepreneurs. It will also guarantee loans taken by start-ups. However, industry experts say the government needs to work on the things it promised earlier.

Many say issues highlighted in the manifesto are skewed and are not made keeping the ground realities in view. “We express disappointment as it does not have any substantial comment on digital rights — speech, privacy protection, net neutrality or sustainable innovation. We are disappointed that digital rights framework has been largely avoided or given a cursory reference," said the Internet Freedom Foundation, an Indian digital liberties organisation.

The Congress, meanwhile, voicing popular sentiment on issues around the angel tax, plans to withdraw it. “The Congress promises to extend full support to the private sector and to revive the animal spirits of our entrepreneurs,” it says.

In addition, it has spoken about strengthening patent laws, often important for software product start-ups, and support Indian inventors and innovators to secure international patent protection. "We will create a patent pool, acquire patents and allow access to patented technology to businesses at affordable cost," it says.

BATTLE OF MANIFESTOS