Important to Build Consensus for Secure Digital Economy: PM Narendra Modi

By R. Anil Kumar

• India’s digital transformation is powered by its unshakeable belief in innovation and its commitment to speedy implementation
• Nation is leveraging technology to transform governance and make it more efficient, inclusive, faster and transparent
• India’s Digital Public Infrastructure offers scalable, secure and inclusive solutions for global challenges
• Entire ecosystem of technology-based solutions can be built to address the challenges faced by humanity. All it needs from us are the four C’s – Conviction, Commitment, Coordination, and Collaboration

Bangalore, August 19. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that it is important to build consensus in order to secure digital economy, cautioning the G20 representatives against the security threat challenges to digital economy as it spreads globally.

While addressing the G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ meeting in Bengaluru via video message, the prime minister said, “As digital economy spreads, it will face security threats, challenges.

“We in G20 have a unique opportunity to lay a foundation of an inclusive, prosperous and secure global digital future. We can include financial inclusion and productivity through Digital Public Infrastructure,” the Prime Minister said.

The prime minister credited the initiation of the Digital India initiative in 2015 for the rapid digital transformation India has experienced over the past nine years.

He emphasized India’s unwavering commitment to innovation, speedy implementation, and inclusive development that ensures no one is left behind in the digital revolution.

PM Modi also extended a warm welcome to the attendees while emphasising Bengaluru’s status as a hub for science, technology, and entrepreneurship, and said, “There is no better place than Bengaluru to discuss the digital economy.”

While virtually addressing India at the G20 Digital economy ministers meeting, PM Modi said, “Today India has over 850 million internet users enjoying some of the cheapest data costs in the world. We have leveraged technology to transform governance to make it more efficient, inclusive, faster & transparent”

The Prime Minister also added saying that, “More than 45% of global real-time payments happen in India

The CoWIN portal supported India’s vaccination drive, we are building ‘Bhashini’ an AI-powered language translation platform. It will support digital inclusion in all the diverse languages in India”, PM Modi.

During his address, the Prime Minister also said that the country’s digital public Infrastructure offers scaleable, secure & inclusive solution for global challenges, further adding, he said that the solution that succeeds in India can be easily applied anywhere in the world.

Prime Minister Modi informed the audience that the country has now created an online global public digital goods depository, the India Stacks, to ensure that no one is left behind.

He called upon the participants at the event to put in efforts to develop a roadmap to facilitate cross country comparison of digital skills and to set up a virtual centre of excellence on digital skilling.

Highlighting the potential for technology to connect the world and foster inclusive and sustainable development, PM Modi called for “Conviction, Commitment, Coordination, and Collaboration” to build a global ecosystem of technology-based solutions to address humanity’s challenges.