Digital development features prominently in India’s Union Budget

Technology covers an important part of India’s Union Budget, which was presented by finance minister, Arun Jaitley, on Monday. Technology is seen as a social and economic booster, and will be used across sectors – ‘be it to increase tax compliance and accountability with the help of data analytics, increase digital literacy, strengthen rural markets, improve agriculture, modernise ports and airports or to store digital documents.’ The government plans to reduce the digital divide by providing digital devices and connecting about 60 million houses to the net. The expected increase in Internet users is also hoped to boost e-commerce.