India pivoting from e-governance to digital governance, says IT Secretary

Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Secretary, MeitY, noted during the event that today's world is talking about digital transformation

On its 32nd Foundation Day, the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) held a conference on "Growth Avenues for the Indian IT Industry and Emerging Tech Ecosystem" in Delhi on Monday.

Speaking at the event, Alkesh Kumar Sharma, secretary, MeitY stated, "Today, the world is talking about digital transformation. India is moving from e-governance to digital governance, where each service has to be online."

"The six major pillars of development that make India an IT superpower are connectivity, low-cost data, affordable devices, people-friendly policies, future-ready talent, and cyber security," he added.

Ajai Chowdhry, chairman of the EPIC Foundation and creator of HCL, also emphasised the importance of India and STPI shifting towards high-value addition and commodities.

"The world is changing, and we should be looking at where India’s next opportunity lies. The STPI has created a fantastic support system for the software industry. They have been exceedingly successful in proving that enabler, which was essential to getting it started and scaling. Now, we have to move towards high-value addition," he added.

The event also witnessed three MoUs exchanged between STPI Next Initiatives and BRC, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, and STPI Next Initiatives and India Angels Network, as well as the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development and STPINEXT Initiatives and Incubation (CEDI) of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Trichy.

Additionally, an agritech report titled "Innovations through Agritech: A Study on the Adoption and Impact of Technology on Agri and Agri-Allied Sectors" was presented.

The report aimed to provide insights into the current state of agritech in India, the challenges faced by the sector, and the opportunities for growth and innovation.