Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday tabled the Economic Survey (2022-23) report in Parliament, to kick off the Budget 2023 session. While inflation was pegged at 6.8 per cent for the current fiscal, GDP growth is said to be the lowest in three years, at 6-6.8 per cent. The survey also highlighted several statistics on the country’s digital public infrastructure, highlighting that over 98 per cent of the total telephone subscribers are connected wirelessly, showing an increase in mobile usage.
As per the Survey, the total telephone subscriber base in India stands at 117.8 crore, as of September 2022. Out of this, 44.3 per cent subscribers are based out of rural India.
As of March 2022, the overall teledensity stood at 84.8 per cent.
Between 2015 and 2021, the Survey noted that Internet subscriptions in rural areas saw a whopping 200 per cent increase.
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All of the above showed an increased reliance on mobile phones and Internet connectivity, especially in rural regions. This comes in under the backdrop of 5G, the next-gen telecom service that promises better-than-broadband speeds, being introduced in the country during the India Mobile Congress (IMC) in October 2022. Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel led the rollout of 5G services across the country, launching in four and eight cities, respectively at the time. As months passed, however, both Jio and Airtel has launched its 5G services in over 50 cities, including the likes of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Varanasi, and even reaching out to states such as Rajasthan, Assam, and more.
The Economic Survey also noted that India’s economic growth will be bolstered by the expansion of public digital platforms and “path-breaking measures such as PM GatiShakti, the National Logistics Policy, and the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes to boost manufacturing output.”
Sitharaman will be presenting the Union Budget in Parliament tomorrow, and it is largely expected that the centre will announce more PLI-related benefits to boost India’s semiconductor and smartphone (as well as other consumer gadgets) production strength.