Addressing the G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ meeting in Bengaluru virtually on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on India’s digital transformation over the last nine years.
“Over 850 million internet users are enjoying some of the cheapest data costs in the world…We have leveraged technology to transform governance to make it more efficient, inclusive, faster and transparent,” said Modi.
Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and mobile phones revolutionised financial transactions, he added. Over 45 per cent of global real-time payments happen in India. “The CoWIN portal supported India’s vaccination drive…An AI-powered language transplantation platform ‘Bhashini’ is being built. It will support digital inclusion in all the diverse languages in India,” Modi added.
He underlined that India’s digital transformation is powered by its unshakeable belief in innovation and its commitment to speedy implementation while also being motivated by the spirit of inclusion where no one is left behind.
Modi also said that India is ready to share its experience with the world. “India’s digital public infrastructure offers scaleable, secure and inclusive solution for global challenges,” he said.
“India, is an incredibly diverse country with dozens of languages…With such diversity, India is an ideal testing lab for solution…From ancient traditions to latest technology, India has something for everyone,” said Modi.
He also added that India is home to every religion in the world and has innumerable cultural practices. We have created online global public digital goods depository –India Stacks– to ensure no one is left behind, he said. He also welcomed the efforts to develop roadmap to facilitate cross country comparison of digital skills.
“A solution that succeeds in India can be easily applied anywhere in the world…As digital economy spreads, it will face security threats, challenges…It is important to build consensus for secure digital economy,” said Modi. We in G20 have a unique opportunity to lay foundation for inclusive, prosperous and secure global digital future, he added.
