The success of the Digital India programme is new hope for other developing and aspiring countries of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Patricia Scotland said this as she expressed her appreciation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this initiative.

She said this recently during an interaction with a private news channel.

"India has tried to address the aspirations of the people with innovation and opportunities by offering affordable digital services," she said.

"This is extremely commendable," she added.

“If you look at our poor, smaller, and developing countries, many of them look to the developed nations," she further said.

"They fear that they cannot aspire to do or replicate what the developed countries have done because of the cost," she added.

"But when they look at India and fact that India is developing these things at scale and at a cost which looks accessible to so many. That brings hope," Scotland added.

She also mentioned about her visit to India during January 2020 where she interacted with the several ministers and technology experts.

"During these interactions, I got to understand that India is really focusing on helping the small, the vulnerable and the developing," she said.

“I very much welcome that,” she added further.

She also conveyed her appreciation for the contributions made by the Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad in the success of Digital India programme.

"The minister has been in the forefront of these developments," she further said in her appreciation of Ravi Shankar Prasad.

“Ravi Shankar Prasad has electrified the other members of our Commonwealth family as well," she further added.