PM Modi hails Digital India as way of life, says 'Technology First' is Centre's governance model

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that Digital India, which was launched by the Centre in 2015, is no longer being seen as any regular government initiative but it has become a way of life.

Speaking at Bengaluru Tech Summit, 2020, via video-conferencing, he said that his governance model is 'Technology First'.

"We launched Digital India 5 years back. Today, I am glad to say that Digital India is no longer being seen as any regular government initiative. Digital India has become a way of life. Particularly, for the poor, marginalised and for those in the government," he said.

"Thanks to Digital India, our nation has witnessed a more human-centric approach to development. Using technology on such a large scale has brought about several life changes for our citizens. The benefits are for everyone to see," he said.

The Prime Minister said that his government has successfully created a market for digital and tech solutions but it has made technology a key part of all schemes.

"Our governance model is 'Technology First'. Through technology, we have enhanced human dignity. Crores of farmers receive monetary support in one click. At the peak of the lockdown, it was the technology that ensured that India's poor received proper and quick assistance. The scale of this relief has few parallels," he said.

PM Modi said that technology is the prime reason our schemes have transcended files and changed the lives of the people at such a speed and scale.

"When it comes to technology, the way ahead lies in learning and growing together. Inspired by that approach, a number of incubation centres are opening in India. Over the last few years, a culture of hackathons have been organised in India. I have attended some of them too," he said.

"Achievements of the industrial era are in the rearview mirror, and now, we are in the middle of the information era. Future is coming sooner than anticipated In the industrial era, change was linear. But in the information era, change is disruptive," he added.

The Prime Minister said that India is uniquely positioned to leap ahead in the information era.

"In the industrial era, the first-mover advantage was everything. In the information era, first-mover does not matter, the best-mover does. Anyone can build a product any time that disrupts all existing equations of the market," he said.

"India is uniquely positioned to leap ahead in the information era. We have 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 but deployed for the world," he added.

PM Modi said that the government's policy decisions are always aimed at liberalising tech & innovations industry.

"Recently, we have eased the compliance burden on the IT industry. We have always tried to engage with stakeholders in the tech industry and chart out future-proof policy frameworks for India," he said.

Speaking at the summit, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said that the state government is keen on making Karnataka the most attractive destination for investment, particularly for high-end technologies.

"The Prime Minister has a great vision of making India a 5-trillion dollar economy and a global economic powerhouse by 2025. Government of Karnataka pledges since participation in the Government of India's vision towards this," he said.

The Bengaluru Tech Summit, organised 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'.