<span style="color: #222222;">The government today said that the Digital India programme has helped to deliver substantial services directly to the beneficiary in a transparent and corruption-free manner. <br />''<br />''In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the programme paved way for the country to emerge as one of the pre-eminent nations of the world to use technology to transform the lives of its citizens. <br />''<br />''He said the Digital India programme was launched with the vision of transforming India into a digitally empowered society and a knowledge-based economy. <br />''<br />''Stating that the programme has reduced the distance between the government and the citizens, the Minister observed that it is centred on digital infrastructure as a core utility to every citizen, their digital empowerment, governance and services on demand.</span><br />