Srinagar, Jul 29 (KNO): The Centre on Wednesday said Digital India initiatives have significantly expanded digital access and public service delivery in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, with over 37.90 lakh DigiLocker users in J&K and 39,029 users in Ladakh, while 37 departments/institutions in J&K and 10 in Ladakh have been integrated with the platform.
The information was provided by Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada in a written reply to the Lok Sabha raised by Shri Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu on the impact of Digital India initiatives.
The government said the Digital India programme has strengthened Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) across the country through platforms such as Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker, UMANG and Common Services Centres (CSCs), improving governance, financial inclusion and digital access, particularly in rural and remote areas.
According to the reply, accessed by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Aadhaar has crossed 144 crore enrolments, while UPI now serves over 55.49 crore users, 6.5 crore merchants and connects 731 banks, accounting for 85 per cent of India's digital payments. DigiLocker has more than 71.66 crore registered users, with over 936 crore digital documents issued.
The government informed Parliament that UMANG currently offers over 2,585 government services, while 5.01 lakh Common Services Centres, including 3.91 lakh at the Gram Panchayat level, are providing more than 800 digital services across the country.
Highlighting the impact of the programme, the minister said an independent evaluation by the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) found that Digital India has improved transparency, reduced service delivery time, promoted paperless governance and enhanced digital inclusion. Another assessment of CSCs reported that 98 per cent of beneficiaries obtained the required services, 93 per cent experienced a positive impact, and 95 per cent expressed satisfaction with the services delivered.
The GoI also outlined measures to bridge the digital divide, stating that 2.21 lakh Gram Panchayats have been made service-ready under BharatNet, while internet subscribers in the country have increased to 109.27 crore. It added that 6.39 crore people have been trained under PMGDISHA, over 34 lakh candidates have registered under FutureSkills Prime, and AI literacy is being promoted through the IndiaAI Mission.
The reply further stated that Jammu & Kashmir has 37,90,394 DigiLocker users with 37 integrated departments and institutions, while Ladakh has 39,029 registered users and 10 integrated departments/institutions, reflecting the growing adoption of digital governance platforms in the two Union Territories—(KNO)