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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday, calling for investment in the country, that technology was once the domain of those in power, but India has shown how to democratize it.
“Your investment and our innovation will work wonders. Bengaluru said via video conference at the opening of his tech summit in Bengaluru.
He said India is showing how technology can be a force for equality and empowerment. His Ayushman Bharat Yojana, the world’s largest health insurance scheme, covers nearly 200 million households and operates on one technology platform. India has carried out the world’s largest Covid-19 vaccine campaign on a technology platform called COWIN.
The internet and data play an important role in the application of technology. Over the past eight years, India’s broadband connections have grown from 60 million to 810 million and smartphones from 150 million to 750 million.
He said India’s data tariffs are among the lowest in the world. During Covid-19, low data costs helped poor students take online classes. “Without this, she would have lost her two precious years,” he said.
Internet growth is faster than in rural areas. “New demographics will lead to an information superhighway,” Modi said. When it comes to education, India has one of the largest online open course repositories. There are thousands of courses on various subjects. Over 10 million certifications have been achieved. All this is done online and for free.
Modi said India is using technology as a weapon in its fight against poverty. Under the Svamitva program, the country uses drones to map land in rural areas and then distributes maps of their holdings to people. This will resolve land disputes and give poor people access to financial services and credit.
Jan Dhan Aadhar Mobile Trinity has authorized direct transfer of profits. Profits went directly to authenticated and verified beneficiaries. Mr Modi said billions of rupees have reached the bank accounts of the poor. During Covid-19, everyone worried about small businesses. The government has helped street vendors access working capital to reopen their businesses. Incentives are given to those who start using digital payments.
The government operates an e-commerce platform called the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), where small traders and businesses meet the state’s needs. The platform has reached 1 trillion rupees in funding last year. “Technology has helped small businesses find big customers,” Modi said. “At the same time, this reduced the scope of corruption.”
He also said India’s youth and talent pool ensured the globalization of technology. The number of unicorns (startups) worth over $1 billion will double from 2021. There are over 81,000 recognized startups. Apart from this number, there are hundreds of international companies with R&D centers in India.