Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US and assurances by tech giants Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Qualcomm will provide a major boost to the Digital India drive, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development, M Venkaiah Naidu, said.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Naidu said, “If the Opposition extends constructive support to certain legislations, the pace of Indian economy can move much faster thereby creating lakhs of jobs for aspiring youth. Come together and seize the opportunity to take the economy to further heights.”' “While various global economies and the Chinese economy are slowing down, India presents plenty of opportunities for growth. It’s high time the Government and the Opposition work together where the latter has an important role in accelerating the economy,” he said.
He described Modi’s visit to the US as a milestone and the world sees him as a “reformer, performer and transformer.”
Naidu said Google has agreed to help set up free Internet broadband across 500 railway stations, Microsoft would provide low-cost broadband technology to five lakh villages and chipmaker Qualcomm has expressed intent to invest $150 million in Indian start-ups in the mobile and Internet-of-everything ecosystem.
While Testla has evinced interest in sharing its revolutionary battery technology that could be useful for the growing solar energy segment, Apple has promised to set up a manufacturing base in India. During the interaction with Facebook, the social media major has agreed to start wifi-hotspots in the country.
The Digital India project, which aims to bridge the digital divide and promote literacy, would rely on the concept of mobile governance to make development a truly inclusive and comprehensive mass movement.
In barely five months, the Modi Government has managed to facilitate the opening up of 18 crore bank accounts and launched various social security initiatives, including the Atal Bhima Yojana. Now the Prime Minister is pitching for the Digital India and Make in India drive, which global investors are keenly watching, Naidu said.