Modi asks youth to innovate and 'Design in India'

Says India can play a lead role in dealing with global cyber security threat, asks India Inc to boost domestic production of electronic devices

Flagging the threat to cyber security globally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India can play a lead role in dealing with this "bloodless war" as he launched a digital initiative to which the corporate world pledged more than Rs 4.5 lakh crore.

He pitched for a digital revolution in the country and exhorted the industry to boost domestic production of electronic devices, which account for the second largest import, under the Make in India programme.

Inaugurating Digital India Week here, he said digitalisation of all government work is essential to deal with problems like corruption, help provide transparent and efficient governance and bridge the rich-poor divide. Highlighting the country's potential in the information technology sector, Modi called upon the Indian youth to innovate and go for "Design in India". He promised government support to start-ups and said India has the potential of becoming the second country after the US in this area.

PM’S MANTRA

• Rs 4.5-lakh-cr investment promise for Digital India to create 1.8 mn jobs
• Have to move from e-governance to m(mobile)-governance
• Design in India as important as Make in India
• Need to innovate for cyber security threats; products should come from India
• Civilisations will be built along optical fibre networks
• Govt to fully support start-ups
• Dream of a Digital India, where  high-speed networks unite the nation

"We have to move from E-governance to M-governance. M-governance does not mean Modi governance. It means mobile governance," he said at a function which was attended by several ministers, top Indian industrialists and chief executive officers of some global companies, besides a few BJP leaders such as L K Advani, who sat among the audience.

Modi talked about the advantages of IT but at the same time said that "clouds of a bloodless war are hovering" over the world. "The world is terrified by this.... 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 to ensure that the entire humanity lives in peace," he said.

Mentioning the dangers posed to cyber security, Modi said, "somebody, with education of 10th or 12th class, sitting thousands of miles away, can clean up your bank account with a click of mouse." This situation needs to be addressed.

Noting that India had lagged when the world went through the industrial revolution, the Prime Minister said he dreams of a "digital India" where government services are easily available to citizens on mobile devices and barriers between the rich and the poor are removed. "I dream of a digital India where government proactively engages with people through social media... I dream of digital India where cyber security becomes integral part of national security...I dream of a digital India where high-speed digital highways unite the nation, 1.2 billion connected Indians drive innovation," he said.

Modi said technology helps in dealing with problems like corruption.

The function was attended by Union Ministers Arun Jaitley, Ravi Shankar Prasad, J P Nadda, Thaavar Chand Gehlot, Jual Oram and Nirmala Sitharaman.

India Inc was represented by Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, Reliance Group chief Anil Ambani, Bharati Enterprises chief Sunil Mittal, Tata Son Chairman Cyrus Mistry, Aditya Birla Group chief Kumar Mangalam Birla and Wipro's Azim Premji. Among global companies were Bernhard Gerwert, CEO of Airbus' defence and space unit, and Ping Chang, CEO of Taiwanese company Delta Electronics.

Corporate leaders made announcements regarding their plans to invest in digital sector, which Modi said amounted to over Rs 4.5 lakh crore with a potential to generate 1.8 million jobs.