PM says this decade is 'India's Techade'

Data and demographic dividend combined with India's proven tech prowess presents massive opportunity for the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday while interacting with the beneficiaries of ‘Digital India’, on the occasion of the campaign completing six years since its launch.

Speaking at the virtual event, Modi said India is also conscious of its responsibilities as a data powerhouse and noted that work is underway on all aspects of data protection. “This decade is going to greatly enhance India's capabilities in digital technology, India's share in the global digital economy. The 5G technology will bring significant changes in the world, and India is preparing for that. These will help in making this decade as 'India's Techade',” he said.

Digital solutions

The Prime Minister said the digital solutions that India has prepared during the pandemic are a topic of discussion all over the world. One of the world's largest digital contact tracing app, Aarogya Setu has helped a lot in preventing corona infection. He further said that many countries have also shown interest in India's Cowin app for vaccination. Having such a monitoring tool for the process of vaccination is a proof of our technical proficiency, he said.

He spoke to beneficiaries of various schemes of Digital India programme including Diksha, eNAM, eSanjeevani solution for telemedicine, DigiBunai and PM SVANidhi scheme. Six years of Digital India programme marks rapid strides that the country has taken in adoption of technology, he said.

The PM spoke of the critical role that technology had played during the pandemic to ensure continuity of education, access to healthcare, and other citizen services. He said that at a time when developed countries were unable to send aid money to their citizens due to the lockdown, India was sending thousands of crores of rupees directly to the bank accounts of the people.

Digital transactions have brought an unprecedented change in the lives of farmers. Under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, ₹1.35 lakh crore has been deposited directly into the bank account of more than 10 crore farmers families. Digital India has also realised the spirit of One Nation, One MSP.

He said a lot of emphasis is being made on the scale and speed at which the infrastructure for Digital India is being made. He added that through 2.5 lakh Common Service Centres, internet connection had reached remote areas. Under Bharat Net scheme, work is underway on a mission mode to bring broadband internet to the villages.

Through PM WANI, access points are being created so that rural youth can connect with high-speed Internet for better services and education. Affordable tablets and digital devices are being offered to students across the nation. Production Linked Subsidies are being offered to electronic companies to realise this goal, he said.

In the last six-seven years due to Digital India, around ₹17 lakh crore has been transferred to the bank accounts of beneficiaries under various schemes, Modi said.

COMMENT NOW