Digitalization – A New Innovation Wave in India

Abstract

On July 1, 2015, Indian Prime Minister inaugurated Digital India week. Digital technologies or Digitalization is the latest wave of innovation that is connecting people, products and services. Digitalization is a result of converging of Information technology, telecommunication, internet and other related technologies. This is a part of the technological revolution we have been witnessing over the last couple of decades. There have been five such recorded technological revolutions. Digitalization is converting today’s society to a highly networked society. This Digitalization wave is likely to result in social, economic and political transformations of different countries. India has not yet participated in any of the five technological revolutions that have taken place during the last 250 years. All the technological revolutions started in one western country and spread to others countries in the west. Most of the Western countries have benefited from these revolutions. India, even after over six decades of independence, is still struggling with the basic socio-economic challenges of poverty, malnutrition, unemployment, illiteracy, health care and now development induced environmental degradation. These problems are a result of long spells of colonialism, and poor governance systems that were left behind. This paper argues that modern Digitalization technologies have the potential to assist in addressing many such challenges. The paper aims to examining the role of modern digitalization technologies in solving socio-economic problems of India. Is this wave likely to help in providing inclusive growth to people of India and thereby bring in positive social change? This very relevant question is the focus of this paper.