Govt, industry need to join hands to drive inclusive growth

A strong plan is needed under the PPP mode to achieve inclusive development that reaches the masses: DEITY

The government and industry should forge stronger ties to accelerate adoption of technology in a bid to drive inclusive growth in the country, Department of Electronics and IT (DEITY) Secretary J Satyanarayana said today.

"In the next 4-6 weeks, we need to create a document, that talks on how we go about developing the country with the help of technology and when do we achieve it," Satyanarayana said at a FICCI event here.

This is an effort, which requires a closer participation from both the government as well as the industry. A strong plan is needed under the public private participation mode to achieve inclusive development that reaches the masses, he added.

"Besides, there is also the need for the industry to show how many citizens it has touched. It needs to create avenues where it can bring a change in the lives of the citizens," Satyanarayana said.

Sharing similar views, Intel South Asia Managing Director (Sales and Marketing) Debjani Ghosh said: "Our era is defined by technology and the potential to provide every Indian citizen access to better education, healthcare and services is possibly the most exciting role technology can play in India."

If used right, it will be one of the most effective drivers of the much needed inclusive growth in the country, she added.

Satyanarayana further said that the National IT Policy has set an extremely ambitious goal to make one person in every Indian household e-literate by 2020.

"This will result in about 250 million people in India becoming capable of using connected technology to access relevant information and essential services needed to improve their employability and livelihoods. And this can be achieved if the government and industry join hands," he added.