India has democratised technology to fight poverty, says PM Modi

New demographic joining information superhighway, he says at Bengaluru Tech Summit

Technology was once the exclusive domain of the high and mighty but India has shown how to democratise it, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday as he sought investments for the country.

“Your investment and our innovation can do wonders. I invite you all to work with us,” said Modi via video conferencing at the inauguration of Bengaluru Tech Summit 2022 that is being attended by industry leaders, investors, civil servants and technologists.

India had shown how technology can be a force of equality and empowerment, he said. Ayushman Bharat Yojana, the world's largest health insurance scheme, covers nearly 200 million families and runs on a technology platform. India ran the world's largest Covid-19 vaccine drive on a technology platform called COWIN.

The internet and data are playing a key role in the application of technologies. In the last eight years, India’s broadband connections rose from 60 million to 810 million and smartphone increased from 150 million to 750 million. The growth of the internet is faster in rural areas than.  “A new demographic is being connected to the information superhighway,” said Modi.

For education, India has one of the largest online repositories of open courses. There are thousands of courses available across different subjects. Over 10 million successful certifications have happened. This is all done online and for free.

He said India’s data tariffs are among the lowest in the world. During Covid-19, low data costs helped poor students to attend online classes. “Without this, two precious years would have been lost for them,” he said.

Modi said India is using technology as a weapon in the war against poverty. Under the Svamitva scheme, the country is using drones to map lands in rural areas and then allot property cards to people. This resolves land disputes and helps the poor access financial services and credit.

The Jan Dhan Aadhar Mobile Trinity has given the power to directly transfer benefits. Benefits went directly to authenticated and verified beneficiaries. Modi said billions of rupees reached the bank accounts of the poor. During Covid-19, everyone was worried about small businesses. The government helped street vendors access working capital to restart businesses. Those who start using digital payments are given incentives.

The government runs a successful e-commerce platform called the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) where small traders and businesses fulfil the state's needs. The platform hit a procurement value of Rs 1 trillion last year.

“Technology has helped small businesses find a big customer,” said Modi. “At the same time, this has reduced the scope for corruption.”

He also said India’s youth and talent pool has ensured tech globalisation. The number of unicorns, or start-ups valued at $1 billion or above each, in the country, has doubled since 2021. There are more than 81,000 recognised start-ups. Besides that number, there are hundreds of international companies that have R&D centres in India.

India is investing over Rs 100 trillion in infrastructure over the next few years. Traditionally, big projects are often delayed and exceed expenses. But now, with Gati Shakti shared platform, the central government, state governments, district administrations, and different departments can coordinate.