Tech use will help India become developed nation by 2047: PM Modi
New Delhi (PTI): Technology will help India achieve the target of becoming a developed nation by 2047, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, as he outlined the massive and modern digital infrastructure being created to ensure that benefits of digital revolution reach all citizens.
Addressing a post-Budget webinar on 'Unleashing the Potential: Ease of Living Using Technology', Modi said the government wants to reduce the cost of compliance of small businesses, and asked the industry to formulate a list of unnecessary compliances that can be pruned.
"We want to reduce the compliance cost of small businesses. Can you (industry) formulate a list of unnecessary compliances that can be pruned. We have finished 40,000 compliances," Modi said.
India is creating a modern digital infrastructure, and ensuring that benefits of digital revolution reach every section of the society, he noted.
Citing certain examples, he said technology is being used to make the tax system faceless to address problems of taxpayers.
Technologies like 5G and AI (Artificial Intelligence) are leading conversations now and poised to transform areas like medicine, education, agriculture, and many other sectors, Modi said adding technology formed the base of One Nation One Ration, and the JAM (Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar and Mobile number) trinity helped in giving benefits to the poor.
"Now between your grievances and the redressal there is no person, just technology," he said.
The prime minister exhorted stakeholders to identify 10 problem areas facing the common man which can be solved using AI. He said the 21st century is technology-driven, and one cannot restrict it to just digital, and internet technology.
"Every budget in the past few years has stressed the ease of living for people with the help of technology. In this year's budget also, the priority is given to technology and a human touch," he said.
He also said the government interventions have now been reduced and citizens do not consider the government to be an obstacle. The prime minister asked various departments to collectively think about using technology for solving their problems and reaching global standards.
"Going a step further, we can identify the areas where dialogue with the government can be further eased," he added.
Further, he emphasised on the need to keep updating the training process under 'Mission Karmayogi' and highlighted that with modifications based on the feedback from the citizens, significant improvement can be witnessed.
Modi suggested creating a system where feedback can be easily submitted to improve the training. Citing examples of the use of technology in the government, he mentioned the Digilocker services for entities where companies and organizations can store their documents and also share them with government agencies. He suggested exploring ways to expand these services so that more people can benefit from them.
Further, Modi stressed on the need to brainstorm and identify the obstacles faced by MSMEs.
"The lack of trust between the government and the people is the result of a mindset of slavery," he remarked and pointed out that the government has won back the trust of the citizens by decriminalizing petty offences and becoming a loan guarantor for MSMEs.
Highlighting the role of technology, Modi pointed out that technology can help create a finished product that can help in capturing the global market. The success of the budget or any government policy, he said, depends on how well it is prepared but also highlighted the importance of people's cooperation.
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Noida International Airport appoints Nitu Samra as interim CEO
New Delhi (PTI): Noida International Airport on Friday announced the appointment of its Chief Financial Officer Nitu Samra as the interim Chief Executive Officer after authorities denied permission for foreign national Christoph Schnellmann to be at the helm.
"This change follows directions issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) that the Chief Executive Officer of an airport in India is required to be an Indian national," NIA said in a statement.
Samra will replace Schnellmann, a Swiss national who has led Noida International Airport (NIA) as the CEO since August 2020.
The regulatory issue related to the requirement of having an Indian national as CEO has been delaying the start of commercial operations of the airport, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
Schnellmann will join the airport's Board of Directors as Executive Vice Chairman. In this role, he will continue to support the project and its transition to operations, the statement said.
With immediate effect, NIA said Samra has been appointed as the CEO on an interim basis until the Board of Directors can conclude a formal selection process.
Samra has been serving as the CFO since October 2021 and was closely involved in the airport’s development journey, overseeing financial stewardship, governance, and strategic planning during a key phase of the project, the statement added.
NIA will be operated by Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, under a public-private partnership.
Originally scheduled to commence passenger services in September 2024, NIA is being developed in four phases, along with a dedicated cargo terminal. It received an aerodrome license from the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in March.
YIAPL Chairman Daniel Bircher said that since the inauguration of the airport by the Prime Minister, the goal was to enable the start of operations as early as possible.
"This management change brings the airport into compliance with Bureau of Civil Aviation Security requirements while maintaining continuity in the airport’s leadership team. The newly structured team will support a smooth transition into operations, guided by clear and transparent governance and a strong corporate culture," he said.
On March 28, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said commercial flight operations from the airport would start in the next 45 to 60 days.
Among the largest greenfield airport projects in the country, NIA will initially have a capacity to handle 12 million passengers per annum.
Once fully developed, the airport will have a total passenger handling capacity of 70 million.
The first phase of NIA has been developed at an investment of around Rs 11,200 crore. 'DXN' is the code for the airport.
The airport features a 3,900-metre runway capable of handling wide-body aircraft, along with modern navigation systems, including Instrument Landing System (ILS) and advanced airfield lighting.
The peak handling capacity in the first phase will be 30 flights per hour.
In the first phase, there will be 28 aircraft stands, and the projected cargo capacity is around 2.5 lakh tonnes.
Terminal 1 of the airport is spread across 1,37,985 square metres with 48 check-in counters. Over 40 acres of land have been earmarked for developing MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facilities at the airport.
