PM Modi addressed the World Conference on Information Technology on 19th February 2018. He inaugurated the event via a video conference. During his address, he called India a hot-spot for technology.

In his address, he also stressed the importance of technology. He said that digital India is now a way of life. In the conference, he said that India has the most tech-friendly population in the world. He pointed out that technology was a medium of integrating the population. He described the importance of digital empowerment. Modi said that geographical distances were no more a barrier for collaborating for a better future.

He also touched upon the different government initiatives in place for improving digital literacy in India. The Pradhan Mantri Rural Digital Literacy mission is expected to make 60 million adults digitally literate in rural India. Another mission that he spoke about during the inauguration was the National Skill Development Mission, its purpose is to the children and the youth for the workplace environment through providing them with the knowledge and the skillset which will lead them to a bright future.

Modi traced India’s evolution in terms of technology, how from two mobile factories in 2014, there are 118 mobile manufacturing factories in India now. These include some of the biggest global brands. Among other things, he mentioned how payments through the BHIM app amounted to 15,000 crore rupees. He acknowledged that the internet would have a massive impact on how things function in India. He touched upon the success of campaigns like ‘Digital India’ and said that it was because of the ‘people’s pull’ rather than the government driving the campaigns.

The World Conference on Information Technology is being held with the NASSCOM India Leadership Forum. It is a three-day conference that will see business delegations from over 25 countries. The theme of the conference is, ‘Amplify digital – Disrupt the core’ and it is being held in Hyderabad.