Narendra Modi: Access to capital, access to resources and access to technology is a priority for our government
FinTech BizNews Service
Mumbai, 27 October, 2023: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 7th Edition of the India Mobile Congress 2023 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi today. India Mobile Congress (IMC) is the largest telecom, media, and technology forum in Asia to be held from 27th to 29th October 2023 with the theme ‘Global Digital Innovation’. The IMC 2023 aims to strengthen India’s position as a developer, manufacturer, and exporter of key cutting-edge technologies. During the program, the Prime Minister awarded 100 ‘5G Use Case Labs’ to educational institutions across the country. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the exhibition at Hall 5 and took a walkthrough.
Industry leaders spoke
Industry leaders also spoke on the occasion. Chairman Bharti Enterprises, Sunil Bharti Mittal recalled the vision given by the Prime Minister in the form of Digital India which led to the development of digital infrastructure at a feverish pace. He underlined the transformation brought about by the JAM trinity vision of the Prime Minister and how the world has taken note of India’s digital transformation. He said the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) of India is the envy of many countries. Second key pillar of the Prime Minister's vision according to Mittal, is Make in India, and noted the strides made in manufacturing in the last one year itself. “India has grown very deep roots in manufacturing. Companies like Apple to Dixon, Samsung to Tatas, every company, small, big or startup are involved in manufacturing and India has emerged as a manufacturing nation, especially for digital infrastructure at a huge scale of a world leader”, he said. He informed that in 5000 towns and 20,000 villages Airtel 5G rollout has already taken place and informed that by March 2024 they would cover the entire country and touched upon the call made by the Prime Minister to this effect. This will be truly the fastest 5G rollout anywhere in the world, he said.
Chairman of Aditya Birla Group, Kumar Mangalam Birla thanked the Prime Minister for his visionary leadership in driving India’s Digital transformation and lauded his commitment towards digital inclusion which is rooted in the principle of ‘Antyodaya’ where benefits are ensured for everyone. He credited this approach for India’s growth in the digital evolution which has gained global recognition. “India has emerged as a champion of the Global South inspired by the Prime Minister’s vision”, Birla said as he underlined that many countries are eager to adopt India’s pathbreaking public infrastructure assets across identity, payments and data management. He reiterated that Vodafone Idea is committed to being a responsible partner in achieving the vision of the Prime Minister. He mentioned that India is actively engaging with the development of standards for futuristic technologies in areas like 6G under the guidance of the Prime Minister. He also thanked the government for their tremendous support.
Chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, Akash M Ambani hailed the Prime Minister’s commitment to improving the lives of younger generations by inculcating the use of the latest technologies thereby powering India’s Digital public infrastructure. He highlighted that the Prime Minister is an inspiration for millions of youngsters in the country in making the Digital India program inclusive, innovative and sustainable.
Glimpses of the future in telecom, technology and connectivity
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that in the changing times of the 21st century, this event has the power to change the lives of crores of people. Underling the fast pace of technology, the Prime Minister said “The future is here and now”. He praised the exhibition placed for the occasion to provide glimpses of the future in telecom, technology and connectivity. He mentioned the fields of 6G, AI, cyber security, semiconductors, drone or space sectors, deep sea, green tech or any other sectors and said, “The future is going to be entirely different and it is a matter of happiness that our young generation is leading the tech revolution”.
Development of 4 lakh 5G base stations
Modi recalled that the 5G rollout which took place last year in India came as a surprise for the rest of the world. He emphasized that India did not halt after the success of 5G and took on the work of taking it to every individual. “India moved from the 5G rollout stage to 5G reach out stage”, he said. Within one year of 5G rollout, the Prime Minister informed about the development of 4 lakh 5G base stations which cover more than 97 percent of the cities and 80 percent of the population. He underlined that the median mobile broadband speeds have increased 3 times within one year. He further added that India moved from the 118th position to the 43rd position in terms of broadband speed. “India is not only expanding the 5G network in the country but also laying emphasis on becoming a leader in 6G”, he remarked. Pointing out the scam that took place during 2G, the Prime Minister said that the 4G rollout which happened during the present government’s tenure is free from blemishes. He also expressed confidence that India will take the lead with 6G technology.
Power of democratization
He said, beyond ranking and number improvement in internet connectivity and speed lead to enhanced ease of living. He narrated the benefits of improved connectivity and speed in education, medicine, tourism, and agriculture.
“We believe in the power of democratization. The benefit of development should reach every section and region, everyone should benefit from the resources in India, everyone should have a life of dignity and the benefit of technology should reach everyone. We are working rapidly in this direction”, the Prime Minister said. “For me, this is the biggest social justice”, he added. He further said that “access to capital, access to resources and access to technology is a priority for our government. He mentioned that collateral-free loans under the Mudra scheme, access to toilets, and DBT through JAM Trinity have one thing in common that is they are ensuring previously inaccessible rights for the common citizens. He highlighted the role of telecom technology in this regard and mentioned Bharat Net which has connected about 2 lakh Gram Panchayats with broadband. 10,000 Atal tinkering labs are exposing about 75 lakh children to cutting-edge technology. He expressed the hope that 5G use labs launched today will have a similar impact. “These labs prompt the youth to dream big and give them the confidence to achieve them”, he added.
Aspire’ program of IMC to mentor startups
The Prime Minister emphasized that India’s startup ecosystem has made a significant place for itself in the world in the last few years. “India has made a century of unicorns in fairly less time and has now become one of the top 3 startup ecosystems in the world”, Modi remarked. Before 2014, the Prime Minister said that India was home to only a few hundred startups whereas that number has gone up to approximately one lakh today. Prime Minister Modi also touched upon the ‘Aspire’ program, an initiative by the Indian Mobile Congress to mentor startups in the country and expressed confidence that the step will hugely benefit the youth of India. He emphasized that India’s journey must be remembered. Recalling the difficulties faced due to outdated technology, Modi pointed out that the governments of the past were in a similar state. The Prime Minister pointed out the outdated methods of the previous governments by drawing an analogy to a frozen mobile device where the commands did not function. “After 2014, people stopped using outdated technologies where changing batteries or restarting the system became a futile exercise”, he said. He recalled that India used to be an importer of mobile phones whereas today, India has become the second largest mobile manufacturer in the world. Noting the lack of vision when it came to electronics manufacturing during previous governments, Modi informed that India today is exporting about Rs 2 lakh crores worth of electronics manufactured in the country. He also threw light on the recent announcement by Google to manufacture Pixel phones in India. “Samsung Fold Five and Apple iPhone 15 are already being manufactured here”, he added.
Build a strong semiconductor manufacturing
The Prime Minister stressed the need to take this success in mobile and electronics manufacturing even further. “For the success of both hardware and software in the tech ecosystem, it is important that we build a strong semiconductor manufacturing sector in India”, he said, informing that an 80 thousand crore rupees PLI scheme is going on for the development of semiconductors. Today, semiconductor companies around the world are investing in semiconductor assembly and testing facilities in collaboration with Indian companies. India's semiconductor mission is moving forward with the vision of meeting not only its domestic demand but also the needs of the world, he added.
Highlighting the primacy of technology in the factors that will make a developing nation developed, the Prime Minister said that in the development of digital technology, India is behind no developed nation. Listing the initiatives to link different sectors with technology, the Prime Minister mentioned platforms like PM Gatishakti in logistics, National Health Mission in health and Agri Stack in the agriculture sector. He mentioned huge investments in scientific research, quantum mission and national research foundation and promotion of indigenous designs and technology development.
Cybersecurity and the safety of network infra
Prime Minister Modi drew attention to the important aspect of cybersecurity and the safety of network infrastructure and recalled the discussion on ‘Global Threats of Cyber Security’ at the G20 Summit. Noting that self-reliance in the entire manufacturing value chain is extremely important for cyber security, the Prime Minister underlined that it becomes easier to maintain security when everything in the value chain belongs to the national domain, be it hardware, software or connectivity. Modi stressed the need to carry out discussions at the India Mobile Congress about keeping the world's democratic societies safe
Thought leaders can bring revolutionary changes
The Prime Minister lamented the missed opportunities when it came to the adoption of new technologies in the past. He mentioned India’s IT sector where India showcased its talent in already-developed technologies. “This period of the 21st century is the time of India's Thought Leadership”, Modi emphasized and urged thought leaders to create new domains which can be followed by others. He gave the example of the UPI which is leading the entire world in digital payments system today. “India has the power of young demography and the power of vibrant democracy”, the Prime Minister remarked. He urged the members of the India Mobile Congress, especially young members, to move forward in this direction. “Today, when we are realizing the goal of becoming a developed India, the transition of moving forward as thought leaders can bring revolutionary changes in the entire sector”, the Prime Minister concluded.
Union Minister for Communications, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of State for Communications, Devusinh Chauhan were present on the occasion among others.
Background
The ‘100 5G labs initiative’, is an endeavor to realize the opportunities associated with 5G technology by encouraging the development of 5G applications which cater, both to India’s unique needs as well as the global demands. The unique initiative will foster innovation across various socioeconomic sectors like education, agriculture, health, power, transportation etc, and propel the country into the forefront of usage of 5G technology. The initiative is also a pivotal step for building a 6G-ready academic and start-up ecosystem in the country. More importantly, the initiative is a step towards the development of indigenous telecom technology which is critical for national security.
IMC 2023 will be attended by over one lakh participants from about 22 countries including about 5000 CEO level delegates, 230 exhibitors, 400 startups, and other stakeholders.
