Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM's address at inauguration of ITU Area Office & Innovation Centre
My colleagues in the Union Cabinet, Dr. S. Jaishankar ji, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw ji and Shri Devusinh Chauhan ji, Secretary General of ITU, other dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen!
Today is a very special and pious day. The new year of 'Hindu calendar' has started from today. I wish Vikram Samvat 2080 to all of you and all the countrymen. Different calendars have been in vogue over the centuries in our vast and diverse country. There is the Malayalam calendar of the Kollam period and there is the Tamil calendar, which has been giving date and time to India for hundreds of years. Vikram Samvat is also there from 2080 years ago. The Gregorian calendar reads 2023 at present but Vikram Samvat began 57 years prior to that. I am happy that a new beginning is taking place in the telecom, ICT and related innovations on this auspicious day. Today the Area Office and Innovation Centre of the International Tele-communication Union  has been inaugurated. Moreover, a 6G test bed has also been launched today. Our vision document related to this technology has also been unveiled. It will not only usher new energy in Digital India but also provide solutions and innovations for South Asia and the Global South. This will create many new opportunities, especially for our academia, innovators, start-ups and industry.
Friends,
Reducing the regional divide is one of the priorities of India when it is presiding over the G-20. A few weeks back, India organized the Global South Summit. Given the unique needs of the Global South, the role of technology, design and standards is very important. The Global South is now seeking to bridge the technological divide as well. This Area Office and Innovation Centre of ITU is a huge step in this direction. I think India's efforts to build universal connectivity in the Global South will also be extremely stimulating and accelerating. This will also strengthen cooperation and collaboration in the ICT sector in South Asian countries. I congratulate and wish all the best to everybody, including many guests from abroad who are also present here.
Friends,
It is only natural to expect a lot from India when we talk about bridging the technological divide. India's potential, innovation culture, infrastructure, skilled and innovative manpower and favourable policy environment are the basis of this expectation. Along with these things, India boasts of two major strengths that is trust and scale. We cannot take the technology to every nook and corner without trust and scale. I would say that trust is a precondition in this present day technology. Today the whole world is discussing India's efforts in this direction. Today India is the most connected democracy of the world with 100 crore mobile phones. Affordable smartphones and cheap internet data have transformed India's digital world. Over 800 crore UPI-based digital payments take place in India every month. Today, 7 crore e-authentications take place every day in India. More than 220 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the country through India’s CoWIN app. In the past few years, India has transferred more than 28 lakh crore rupees directly to the bank accounts of its citizens through Direct Benefit Transfer. We have opened bank accounts of more people than the total population of America through the Jan Dhan Yojana. And after that we authenticated these accounts through the Unique Digital Identity i.e. Aadhaar, and then connected more than 100 crore people through mobile phones. The power of the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile  trinity is a matter of study for the world.
Friends,
Telecom technology is not just a mode of power for India but a mission to empower people. Today digital technology is universal in India, accessible to all. Digital inclusion has happened on a large scale in India in the last few years. If we talk about broadband connectivity, there were six crore users in India before 2014. Today the number of broadband users is more than 80 crores. The number of internet connections in India was 25 crores before 2014. Today it is more than 85 crores.
Friends,
Now the number of internet users in the villages of India is more than the internet users in the cities. This is a proof of how digital power is reaching every nook and corner of the country. In the last nine years, the government and the private sector together have laid 25 lakh kilometers of optical fiber in India. 25 lakh kilometers of optical fiber! In these years only, about two lakh gram panchayats have been connected with optical fiber. Today, more than five lakh common service centers are providing digital services in villages across the country. The effect of all these steps is that today our digital economy is progressing almost two and a half times faster than the overall economy of the country.
Friends,
Non-digital sectors are also getting strength from Digital India and the example of this is our PM GatiShakti National Master Plan. Data layers related to all types of infrastructure being built in the country are being brought on a single platform. The goal is to have information about every resource related to infrastructure development at one place, with real time information available to every stakeholder. The 'Call Before You Dig' app that has been launched here today is also an extension of that spirit. And the 'Call Before You Dig' does not mean that it has to be used politically. You are also aware that digging for different projects often damages the telecom network as well. With this new app, the coordination between the digging agencies and the departments that have underground assets will increase. As a result, the loss will also be minimized and the problems faced by the people will also be reduced.
Friends,
Today's India is rapidly moving towards the next step of digital revolution. Today India is the fastest 5G rollout country in the world. In just 120 days, 5G has been rolled out in more than 125 cities. Today 5G services have reached about 350 districts of the country. Moreover, today we are talking about 6G only after 6 months of 5G rollout and this shows India's confidence. Today we have also presented our vision document. This will become a major basis for 6G rollout in the next few years.
Friends,
The successful indigenous telecom technology is attracting the attention of many countries of the world today. Before the 4G rollout, India was just a consumer of telecom technology. But now India is moving towards being the biggest exporter of telecom technology in the world. With the help of the power of 5G, India is working with many countries to change the work culture of the whole world. Very soon, India is going to set up 100 new 5G labs. This will go a long way in realizing the opportunities, business models and employment potential associated with 5G. These 100 new labs will help in developing 5G applications according to India's unique needs. Be it 5G smart classrooms, farming, intelligent transport systems or healthcare applications, India is working fast in every direction. India's 5G standards are part of the global 5G systems. We will also work together with ITU for standardization of future technologies. The Indian ITU Area office which has been launched today will also help us in creating the right environment for 6G. I am also happy to announce today that the World Tele-communications Standardization Assembly of ITU will be held in Delhi in October next year. Representatives from all over the world will come to India to participate in this assembly. I wish you all the best for this event. But I also urge the scholars of this field that we should do something before October that will be of maximum use to the poorest of the poor countries of the world.
Friends,
Looking at this pace of India's development, it is said that this decade is India's Techade. India's telecom and digital model is smooth, secure, transparent, trusted and tested. All the friendly countries of South Asia can take advantage of this. I believe this centre of ITU will play an important role in this regard. Once again, I welcome dignitaries from many countries of the world on this important occasion and offer all of you many best wishes.
Thanks a lot.
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.