Data, demographic dividend present huge opportunity; this decade to be India's techade': PM Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the combination of nation's demographic dividend and data, with proven tech prowess presents immense opportunities as he exuded confidence the decade will be 'India's techade'.
Speaking at a virtual event to mark the completion of six years of Digital India, Modi said India is fully conscious of its responsibilities as a data powerhouse and noted that work was underway on all aspects of data protection.
Data and demographic dividend present a massive opportunity for India... together, we will be successful in making this decade, 'India's techade', Modi said.
Estimates suggest that dozens of tech companies in India will enter the unicorn club (with USD 1 billion valuation) in coming years, he said and asserted that data and demographic dividend collectively offers huge potential.
Modi spoke via video conference to beneficiaries of various schemes of Digital India programme, including Diksha, eNAM, eSanjeevani solution for telemedicine, DigiBunai and PM SVANidhi scheme.
Modi talked about the critical role that technology had played during the pandemic to ensure continuity of education, access to healthcare, and other citizen services, and noted that digital solutions created by India during this period are being acknowledged globally.
The digital solutions that India has prepared during this time are a topic of discussion and interest all over the world today. One of the world's largest digital contact tracing app, Aarogya Setu has played a key role in containing the spread of COVID, he said.
Many nations have shown interest in the CoWIN app, and tools like these are proof of India's technical prowess.
Modi lauded the passion for innovation and the zeal to adopt those innovations rapidly, and said six years of Digital India programme marks the rapid strides that the country has taken in adoption of technology.
Digital India programme underscores the nation's resolve for self-reliance (AatmaNirbhar Bharat), he said.
Affordable tablets and digital devices are being offered to students across the nation and production-linked subsidies are being given to electronic companies to realise this goal.
In the last 6-7 years, leveraging Digital India, around Rs 17 lakh crore has been transferred in the bank accounts of beneficiaries under various schemes, Modi said.
During interaction with the Prime Minister, Suhani Sahu (a class 5 student from Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh) shared her experiences about the DIKSHA app and explained how it had helped her in continuing her studies.
Be it driving licence, birth certificate, paying electricity bill, paying water bill, filing income tax return, for many such tasks, now the processes have become very easy, very fast with the help of Digital India. And all this is happening in villages, in Common Service Centres (CSCs) near people's homes, Modi observed.
Launched on July 1, 2015, Digital India builds on the concept of minimum government, maximum governance and has led to opportunities for all, facility for all, and participation of all . It has enabled people's access to the government system, made services and processes transparent, non-discriminatory, and attacked corruption.
The Prime Minister explained how Digital India is empowering the common citizen by reducing the gap between government and people, system and facilities, and problems and solutions.
He cited an example of how Digilocker has helped millions of people especially during the pandemic by providing a digital storage facility for school certificates, medical documents and other important certificates.
On One Nation One Ration Card, Modi commended the Supreme Court for asking all the states to implement the initiative. He said the One Nation One Ration Card initiative is benefitting people who travel to other states for work.
Expressing satisfaction over the successful outcomes of Digital India, Modi said the programme has helped the country during the pandemic period.
At a time when developed countries were unable to send aid money to their citizens due to the lockdown, India was sending thousands of crores of rupees directly to the bank accounts of the people leveraging technology, he said.
Under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, Rs 1.35 lakh crore have been deposited directly into the bank account of more than 10 crore farmer families, and that Digital India has realised the spirit of One Nation, One MSP, he added.
Modi highlighted that 2.5 lakh CSCs had helped take the Internet to remote areas. Under Bharat Net scheme, work is underway on a mission mode to bring broadband internet to the villages.
Through PM WANI, access points are being created so that rural youth can connect with high-speed internet for better services and education. Also, 5G technology will bring significant changes in the world, and India is preparing itself to make the most of this opportunity.
IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was also present on the occasion.
He said Digital India had played a crucial role in citizen services and resolved that the movement forward will be taken forward by leveraging futuristic technologies like Artificial Intelligence and blockchain.
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Woman, 2 sons found dead in Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): Three members of a family were found dead inside their home in southeast Delhi's Kalkaji on Friday, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, officials said.
Police said the incident came to light around 2.47 pm when a police team reached the premises to execute a court order related to possession of the property. When repeated knocks went unanswered, the staff used a duplicate key to open the door.
Inside, officers found Anuradha Kapoor (52) and her sons, Ashish Kapoor (32) and Chaitanya Kapoor (27), hanging from the ceiling, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said in a statement. All three were declared dead.
A handwritten note was recovered from the room, suggesting the family had been struggling with depression.
"The handwritten note indicates emotional distress faced by the family due to which the family may have taken the extreme step," the officer said.
The bodies have been shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) mortuary for post-mortem and other legal formalities under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), police said.
Residents of the neighbourhood said they were shocked to learn about the deaths, adding that the family kept largely to themselves.
Pankaj Kashyap, a resident of Girinagar, said he learnt about the deaths while leaving for work. "I live and work here and was leaving for work when I saw many people standing outside and talking. That is how I got to know that three people had committed suicide. I also saw several police vehicles outside, but I do not know much beyond that," he said.
Baldev, another neighbour, said the family had been living in the newly constructed house for around two years. "We only knew that a mother and her two children lived there. They had moved into the newly built house around two years ago. We did not interact much with them. Today we heard that all three have committed suicide, and whatever we know is based on what people here are saying," he said.
Another neighbour, Ramesh Kumar, claimed the family had earlier attempted suicide.
"About fifteen to twenty days ago, the two sons in the family had attempted suicide and police and ambulances had come. That was when I first got to know who they were. I do not recognise them by face, but we saw the ambulances and police take the two sons that day. Today again we saw ambulances and police arriving, so everyone came out to see what had happened. I do not know how long they had been living here, but this is all we know," he said.
Police said they are examining the family's financial condition, social circumstances, and other factors that may have contributed to the incident. Further investigation is underway.
