India’s Prime Minister Addresses G20 Meeting on Digital Economy
The Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, spoke at the G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ Meeting, which took place through a video message in Bengaluru. He warmly welcomed all the important people to Bengaluru, a city known for science, technology, and entrepreneurship. He said that there couldn’t be a better place to discuss the digital economy.
Mr. Modi praised the start of the Digital India plan in 2015, which has led to big changes in India’s digital world over the past nine years. He said that India’s success in becoming digital comes from its strong belief in new ideas and its dedication to making things happen quickly. He also said that everyone is included in this progress.
The Prime Minister talked about the incredible changes that have taken place. India now has 850 million people who use the internet, and they pay very little for data. He talked about how technology has been used to make the government work better and faster. He gave the example of Aadhaar, a special digital identity system that covers over 1.3 billion people. He also talked about how technology has helped in financial matters, making it easier for people to use banks and make payments. He mentioned the UPI payment system, which sees almost 10 billion transactions every month, and lots of the world’s quick payments happen in India. He also talked about how using technology to give benefits directly to people has saved a lot of money.
Mr. Modi spoke about how technology has helped during the pandemic. He mentioned the CoWIN website, which was used to give vaccines to people and also provide certificates. He also talked about the Gati-Shakti platform, which uses technology to plan things better and make them cost less. He said that technology has helped make buying things from the government more open and honest.
The Prime Minister talked about how taxes are done digitally now, which helps make things more open and makes the government work better. He also talked about an AI-powered language translation platform called Bhashini, which helps different people in India talk to each other.
Mr. Modi said that India has a special digital system that can help the whole world. He talked about how India has many languages and religions, so it’s a good place to try out new ideas. He said that if an idea works in India, it can work anywhere. He also said that India is willing to share its ideas with others, just like they did with the CoWIN platform during the pandemic. He said that India has made a special online space where people can find digital things to help them, especially those from poorer countries.
The Prime Minister was happy that the G20 group is making a special online space to share digital things globally. He said that working together to make rules and plans for digital things will make everything fairer and more understandable. He also liked the idea of comparing digital skills across countries and making a special place to learn these skills. He said that these are important steps to get ready for the future.
Mr. Modi said that as technology spreads, there will be problems with safety and security. He said that the G20 group should agree on some important rules for a secure and trustworthy digital world.
He believed that technology can help everyone if used right. He said that the G20 countries have a chance to make a digital world that’s good for everyone. He suggested using technology to help farmers and small businesses, making a system for global health that uses technology, and making good rules for using AI. He said that by working together and believing in these ideas, we can make the world better.
The Prime Minister ended his speech by saying that all we need are four things: being sure about our ideas, doing what we promise, working together, and helping each other. He was sure that the group will move in the right direction to make this happen.