PM to launch Digital India Week on July 1

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Digital India Week on July 1 here aiming to encourage involvement and creating awareness about the field, Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Saturday.

"Many dignitaries will join us on that with their investment plans for the sector. We expect investments of billions of dollars from them. These investments will also result in employment to several lakhs of people," the minister said at a press meet.

The Digital India programme is meant to gave an impetus to the progress of e-governance and would promote inclusive growth in areas of electronic services, products, devices and manufacturing.

Industry leaders likely to join Modi on July 1 are Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director (MD), Reliance Industries Ltd, Anil Ambani, chairman, Reliance Group, Cyrus P. Mistry, chairman Tata Sons, Sunil Mittal, chairman and group chief executive officer (CEO), Bharti Enterprises and Kumarmangalam Birla, chairman, Aditya Birla Group.

The others are Ping Cheng, CEO, Delta Electronics, Anil Agarwal, Sterlite Technologies, Azim Premji, chairman, Wipro, Hari Om Rai, chairman and MD, Lava International, Peter Gutsmeidl, CEO, Airbus Group, Pawan Munjal, Hero Group and Mikio Katayama, vice chairman, Nidec Corporation.

The minister said it is the goal of the mission to leverage technology for common people.

"We are promoting electronic manufacturing. India can become a good destination of electronics manufacturing hub," Prasad added.

Talking about the event on July 1, the minister said around 10,000 participants are expected at that meeting.