Corporates line up Rs 4.5 lakh crore investment, 18 lakh jobs
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches digital India project during the launch of Digital India Week in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Photo: Pritam Bandyopadhyay)
New Delhi: Launching the much awaited Digital India campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called upon technocrats to brace up for threat of “bloodless war” and come up with solutions for cyber security. Mr Modi talked at length of global worries over cyber security at the event to launch digital campaign for which companies pledged Rs 4.5 lakh crore of investment.
Inaugurating “Digital India Week”, Mr Modi called for a digital revolution and said that it is necessary to deal with problems like corruption and help provide transparent and efficient governance and bridge the rich-poor divide. “We have to move from E-governance to M-governance. M-governance does not mean Modi governance. It means Mobile governance,” Mr Modi said, while addressing the event attented by several ministerial colleagues and CEOs of some global companies and Indian firms.
He added that India has huge capabilities in the field of IT and promised to encourage manufacturing within the country of electronic goods, which account for second largest imports after petroleum products. He specifically mentioned start ups in this regard. Mr Modi also stressed “Design in India” on the lines of “Make in India” campaign.
“Clouds of a bloodless war are hovering over the world. The world is terrified by this and India has a big role to play in this. Can India play this big role? India has talent. Can India provide a shield to the world by providing innovative and credible solutions? Why should we not have such a confidence? We should accept this challenge,” said Mr Modi, who elaborated that “somebody, with education of 10th or 12th class, sitting thousands of miles away, can clean up your bank account with a click of mouse”.
The Prime Minister noted that technology played a big role in auction of coal mines. “So many coal mines were auctioned but there is no allegation against the government because it was all done in a transparent manner,” he added. The launch ceremony of Digital India week by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the packed Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, was attended by who's who of India Inc, as also top executives of a number of foreign companies, who committed huge investments in creation of infrastructure and setting up of manufacturing units.
According to IT and telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, the investments announced on Wednesday will lead to creation of 18 lakh jobs. The function was attended RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani, ADAG chairman Anil Ambani, Bharati Enterprises chairman Sunil Mittal, Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry, Aditya Birla Group chief Kumarmangalam Birla, Wipro’s Azim Premji attended the meet.
Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani pledged Rs 2.5 lakh crore, followed Sunil Bharti Mittal with Rs 1 lakh crore, Kumar Mangalam Birla (Rs 54,000 crore), and Anil Agarwal (Rs 40,000 crore) with large investment announcements.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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