Ethical hacker Ankit Fadia appointed as brand ambassador for Digital India mission

Indian author and self-proclaimed ethical hacker, Ankit Fadia, has reportedly been appointed as one of the brand ambassadors for the "Digital India" mission.

Fadia, 30, made the announcement on his  Facebook page on Monday, where he also posted a few pictures, including a certificate issued to him by the Department of Electronics and IT that said that he has been appointed for one year to "propagate the products and applications being launched under the programme".

"Humbled and honored to be appointed as one of the Brand Ambassadors to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Digital India initiative," Fadia wrote while informing about his appointment.

Fadia, rose to fame at the age of 17, after he claimed that he defaced the website of Chip -- a popular computer and communications magazine.

However, over the years several of his claims have been trashed by his critics and magazines. A 2012 article in The Sunday Guardian said that Fadia was a fake and he was largely successful due to the tech-illiterate media in India.

Fadia, who has rubbished the accusation, nevertheless continues to enjoy huge fan following on social media.

Digital India

Digital India, an initiative announced by the Narendra Modi government to integrate various departments, plans to connect rural areas with high-speed internet networks.

Digital India has three core components: creation of digital infrastructure, delivering services digitally and digital literacy.

Back in June, the government had announced that it would be selecting young achievers as brand ambassadors for its 'Digital India' programme. The Hindu Business Line had then reported that some of those young techie entrepreneurs and achievers, including Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal, Snapdeal's Rohit Bansal and Micromax's Rahul Sharma, formed part of the Digital India programme.