PM exudes confidence in India's tech talent, says it has potential to go global

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that India is uniquely positioned to leap ahead in the information era and asserted that the country's local tech solutions have the potential to go global.

"India is uniquely positioned to leap ahead in the information era. India has the best minds as well as the biggest market. Our local tech solutions have the potential to go global. It is time for tech-solutions that are designed in India to be deployed for the world. The policy decisions of the government are always aimed at liberalising the tech and innovations industry like the easing of compliance burden on the IT industry done recently," he said.

The prime minister was speaking at the inaugural session of Tech Summit in Bengaluru via video conference.

PM Modi said the government always tried to engage with stakeholders in the tech industry and chart out future-proof policy frameworks for India. He stressed that a framework-level mindset has the potential to build an eco-system of multiple successful products.

He listed out the initiatives with a framework-level mindset including Unified Payments Interface, National Digital Health Mission and Swamitva Scheme.

The prime minister said achievements of the industrial era have passed, and now the country is in the middle of the information era.

"In the industrial era, change was linear but in the information era, change is disruptive. Unlike the industrial era, first-mover does not matter, the best-mover does matter in the information era. Anyone can build a product any time that disrupts all existing equations of the market," he said.

The Prime Minister praised the tech sector for showing its resilience during this pandemic. He highlighted that the amount of tech adoption that would not have happened in a decade, happened in just a few months.

PM Modi said the government has used the power of data analytics to ensure better service delivery and efficiency. "Due to technology we are able to provide electricity to all, cross toll booths faster and it gives us the confidence to vaccinate a large population in a short period of time," he added.

He pointed out that technology ensured India's poor received proper and quick assistance even at the peak of the lockdown.

The Prime Minister stressed the need of data protection as well as cybersecurity with the rapid increase of tech use. He proposed the youth can play a big role in devising robust cybersecurity solutions that can effectively vaccinate digital products against cyber attacks and viruses.

He said the scope and need for innovation is relevant in the fields of science like bio-sciences and engineering.

"Innovation is the key to progress and India has a clear advantage when it comes to innovation because of the talent of our youth and their zeal to innovate. The potential of our youth and the possibilities of technology are endless. It is time, we give our best and leverage them. Our IT sector will keep making us proud," he said.

The Bengaluru Tech Summit, orgsed by the Government of Karnataka along with Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS), Karnataka government's Vision Group on Information Technology, Biotechnology and StartUp, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) and MM Activ Sci-Tech Communications, is scheduled to take place from November 19 to 21.

The summit will see the participation of Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Swiss Confederation Vice President Guy Parmelin and many other prominent international figures.

Apart from them, thought leaders, industry captains, technocrats, researchers, innovators, investors, policy-makers and educators from India and around the world will also be participating in the summit.

This year, the theme of the summit is "Next is Now". The summit will deliberate on the key challenges emerging in the post-pandemic world with a focus on the impact of prominent technologies and innovations in the domains of 'Information Technology and Electronics' and 'Biotechnology'.

( With inputs from ANI )