Digital India of today

At each point of time in a decade, comes a new revolution that can stir up the existential system and usher in a whole new paradigm shift for the entire populace. The new revolution has come for India and is here to stay. With India integrating its place in the globalized world through rapid strides in digital transformations, change is consequential.
Both the Public and Private sectors are effectively deploying Digital technologies in order to increase their efficacies and transform business processes to deliver greater value to its stakeholders. With expectations of weeding out black money in the Indian economy, a foreseeable target of 25 billion transactions has been set to achieve by March 2018 by the Government of India. With Cloud Computation, big data analytics, customizable social media platforms, automation and the Internet of Things (IoT), a Digital India has the potential to lead to a truly connected India and enable real-time responses that commit to a better future with sustainable ideas.



In its efforts to adapt as per situation and time, The Government of India introduced a lot of policy changes and new technologies into executive administration over the past 3 years that have put on display the efficient delivery of public services through improvisations in the government-citizen interaction. Last year’s introduction of the Demonetization policy was one of the biggest changes with respect to promoting digital currency and paperless transactions. Cashless transactions were trending with the government’s BHIM mobile app going up the ranks of applications dealing with online transactions. Plausible policy ramifications, the government could have indulged in were better implementation with regard to inter convertibility, widening of the tax net, and intensive stage-based planning. Another example of Government’s efforts to digitalize the Indian Economy was the Mobile Seva project which improved access to public services and has also made cloud as the premium platform for efficient computation of resources and deployment of an application. Platforms like the MyGov.in,  are being used by many departments to solicit views of all stakeholders on programmes and e-Governance is being touted as the next remedial solution.
Experts are convinced that Smartphones are the beginning of what is touted as the next “Great Indian Revolution” and that major impediments such as digital access and illiteracy are being tackled under the Digital India programme. By exploiting advantages of automation to its fruition, government processes are being been re-engineered to streamline service dispensing. By analyzing patterns in citizen demand for various services and delivery mechanisms, cloud computing and Big Data analytics can lead such a revolution to the fore. Missions such as the Smart cities can put to use the practical applications of IoT to seamlessly connect urban infrastructure and enhance standards of living. With eyes set on an end-to-end transformation of the entire business processes, connecting the dots and establishing a link between the Executive organ and Public interface is essential for the years to come. Investments from capable leaders in the private sector also have immense potential.



The primary beneficiaries of the entire processes, citizens need to enhance their digital literacy for these programmes to auger well for successful outcomes. The Indian Government in its pathway to transformation will have to charter an unexplored journey and face challenges in their entirety. Challenges such as developing workforce skills and putting in place competent leadership, channelizing the taxpayers’ money and investing after appropriation of market-risks, addressing Internet security concerns and investing time in imbibing a digital culture.
As someone said, “Our intuition about the future is linear. But the reality of information technology is exponential, and that makes a profound difference. If I take 30 steps linearly, I get to 30. If I take 30 steps exponentially, I get to a billion.” Let us all dream of a Digital India where access to information knows no barriers and digital divide is bridged.

DECODING THE JADHAV CASE

The all famous “Indian Spy” case has been the talk of the town, for some time now. Weather this case, will further sour the relations between the two nations remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure that a win in this case will go a long way in improving India’s image at the ICJ. India has suffered some major losses in the principal Judicial organ of the UN, including the loss against the Marshal Islands. In the current case, referred as the Jadhav Case( India v Pakistan), one Mr Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav, is said to be kidnapped from Iran where he was carrying on business after retiring from the Indian Navy, and was then shown to have been arrested in Baluchistan” on 3^rd March 2016, and that the Indian authorities were notified of the at arrest on 25^th March 2016. India claims to have sought consular access to Mr. Jadhav on 25 March 2016 and repeatedly thereafter, but was denied. Mr. Jadhav was tried in the Military court and was subsequently given Death Sentence. India had thereafter on 8^th May 2017 instituted proceedings against the neighbor in the ICJ, accusing later of egregious violations of the Vienna Convention on Consular Access, 1963. India, ably represented by Senior Counsel Harish Salve, did the smart thing by simply attacking the legal front.

The Court, while giving this judgment has discussed and relied upon three main components, including Jurisdiction, Plausibility and Urgency of the matter. First of all the court began by considering weather it had jurisdiction prima facie to hear the case. By considering the Article I of the Optional Protocol, it decided that it had. Interestingly, there’s an agreement between the two Asian giants, regarding the consular access. Signed in 2008, it basically exempts spies from being given the same privileges, such as Consular access which the signatories to the Vienna Convention must grant to each other’s citizens in Jail. However, there’s more than what meets the eye. Article 102 of the UN Charter prohibits the invocation of any such treaties in any organ of the UN signed between the member nations, which are not registered before the secretariat of the United Nations, such as this treaty. Also Article 73 of the Vienna Convention, doesn't allow dilution of its provisions by introducing further agreements between the member nations, regarding the consular access. Secondly on the question of Plausibility, it observed that the rights to consular notification and access between a State and its nationals, as well as the obligations of the detaining State to inform the person concerned without delay of his rights with regard to consular assistance and to allow their exercise, are recognized in Article 36, paragraph 1, of the Vienna Convention, and that India has alleged violations of this provision. And therefore, it accepted that the rights alleged by India are plausible. Thirdly, the Court examined whether there is a risk of irreparable prejudice and urgency. It accepted that, the mere fact that Mr. Jadhav is under a death sentence and might therefore be executed, is sufficient to demonstrate the existence of a risk of irreparable prejudice to the rights claimed by India. The Court further observed that Pakistan had indicated that any execution of Mr. Jadhav would probably not take place before the month of August 2017. This means that there is a risk that an execution could take place at any moment thereafter, before the Court has given its final decision in the case. The Court also noted that Pakistan had given no assurance that Mr. Jadhav will not be executed before its final decision. Therefore, it came as no surprise when the court observed that “ Pakistan shall take all measures at its disposal to ensure that Mr. Jadhav is not executed pending the final decision in these proceedings and shall inform the Court of all the measures taken in implementation of the present Order.”

Weather, the final Judgment will go in India’s favour or Pakistan’s remains to be seen but the real cause of concern for India is that our noisy neighbor has not given any hint, on weather it will come in line with the said order or not. If it does not, then there will definitely be repercussions from the Indian side, but upto what extent, remains to be seen. Most Importantly, it will raise questions regarding the true impact of a world body, as big as the UN itself. Whatever the outcome, at this point of time, I am reminded of Donald Trump who said “ UN has become a club for people to get together talk and have a good time”