Why digital literacy is the real infrastructure behind India's 2047 vision

As India nears its centennial of freedom, the Bharat 2047 vision has ambitious plans to change India’s status from a developing to a developed country, with an emphasis on creating a globally competitive economy. Most of the discussion around Bharat 2047 focuses on infrastructure, manufacturing and technology leadership, but underneath these visible foundations of economic development lies another important factor: digital literacy. In a nation of 1.4 billion people, creating systems is only one part of building an economy; people also need to be able to use them. 

India’s Digital Infrastructure

 

India has successfully built the digital infrastructure that allows its citizens to take advantage of new technology: Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker and ONDC are all digital services that have transformed the way businesses operate and the way governments and citizens interact. 

 

However, even the best infrastructure will not create an environment in which people can prosper. Digital literacy is essential to allow people to thrive: students, farmers, workers and small entrepreneurs can realise the full potential of these new services only if they possess the skills necessary to navigate the digital world. Without a critical mass of digitally literate citizens, even the most sophisticated technologies may be left unused and become weak infrastructure. 

India’s digital economy is now central to its growth story and will support economic expansion until 2030. According to a Bessemer report, India’s digital economy has the potential to generate revenue upwards of $1 trillion by 2030 — from e-commerce, fintech, AI service-based companies and platform-led services. Recent policy measures, including the Union Budget’s focus on digital skilling, broadband expansion and technology-enabled education, reflect this recognition. These investments are imperative as India prepares its workforce for an era shaped by artificial intelligence, automation and digital collaboration. 

For example, digitising the payment process at a neighbourhood grocery store; enabling a rural artisan’s sale through an online marketplace; and providing online skills development and remote working opportunities to gig-economy workers all contribute to increasing productivity. With the growth of the digital economy, the respective digital skill sets of micro-entrepreneurs and MSMEs will provide access to larger customer bases, credit, markets and logistics that were once unmanageable.

 

In addition, digital literacy contributes to formalising the informal economy — all those who participate in the economy but are not documented. Finally, expanding digital literacy is paramount for those marginalised, as a means of opening access to economic opportunities.

 

Equitable growth under Bharat 2047 will depend not just on digital access but on digital confidence. Connectivity alone does not bridge divides; capability does. When individuals know how to use digital tools meaningfully, barriers of geography, gender and formality begin to weaken. Capability is the difference between access and outcomes; connectivity without literacy is infrastructure without users.

 

Encouragingly, India’s policy direction reflects this understanding. Initiatives under Digital India have created the infrastructure backbone for digitisation, while programmes such as PMGDISHA, Skill India and the National Education Policy 2020 acknowledge the need to build digital skills early and reinforce them consistently. The next phase must build on this momentum by recognising digital literacy as a foundational life skill on par with reading and numeracy, and by translating intent into execution at scale.

 

Closing this gap will require focused action across a few critical areas.

 

First, digital inclusion begins with reliable and affordable broadband. Last-mile connectivity must reach every citizen, regardless of geography or income, supported by affordable devices and low-cost data. Without this foundation, digital participation remains uneven.

 

Equally important is embedding digital skills into education at every level. Digital literacy cannot be treated as an add-on; it must be integrated into how students learn and how teachers teach, supported by consistent upskilling of educators themselves.

 

Scale, however, cannot be achieved by government alone. Public–private partnerships will determine whether digital skilling efforts translate into employability. When government programmes are aligned with industry tools, platforms and expectations, training moves beyond certification to capability and into real economic participation. Without this alignment, even well-funded initiatives risk falling behind technological reality.

 

Finally, India’s digital future must be designed for inclusion. Platforms need to work across languages, devices and levels of familiarity, ensuring first-time users — particularly women, the elderly and rural communities — can participate confidently from day one.

 

These issues are not merely social policy concerns; they are economic necessities. The workforce of Bharat 2047 will operate in a world shaped by AI, automation and constant digital collaboration. Without basic digital skills, millions risk being excluded from this future. With them, India’s demographic advantage can become one of the world’s most competitive workforces.

 

The success of Viksit Bharat will ultimately be measured not by the highways it builds or the factories it opens, but by how confidently its citizens participate in the digital economy. Physical infrastructure can enable growth, but digital capability sustains it. As India looks towards 2047, the defining question will not be whether technology is available, but whether people are prepared to use it.

 

The author is South Asia Regional Director, ASUS 

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