Lok Sabha Question No. 305 (STARRED), answered on 2023-03-22
Subject: Opportunity in Technology Sector
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Riti Pathak, Parbatbhai Savabhai Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. *305

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 22.03.2023

## OPPORTUNITY IN TECHNOLOGY SECTOR

## *305†. SHRIMATI RITI PATHAK: SHRI PARBATBHAI SAVABHAI PATEL:

Will the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology be pleased to state:

- (a) the  manner  in  which  India  can  play  an  important  role  in  shaping  the  future  of technology globally; and
- (b) the  manner  in  which  the  Government  proposes  to  promote  the  opportunities  in technology sector for the youth in the country, State/UT-wise particularly in Madhya Pradesh,  Gujarat,  Jharkhand,  Bihar  and  Jammu  Kashmir  through  coordination  with States and local Governments?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a) and (b): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN THE REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *305 FOR 22.3.2023  REGARDING  OPPORTUNITY IN TECHNOLOGY SECTOR

……….

(a): In 2015, the Hon'ble Prime Minister launched the Digital India Program with three clear objectives -

- a) Empowering & Transforming Citizens lives, Governance & Democracy
- b) Expanding Economy Opportunities - creating new Jobs & Entrepreneurship
- c) Making India a global leader in Technology

In the last 8 years, since the launch of this program, India has become a pre-eminent nation in the  use  of  technology  to  transform  citizens  lives  becoming  producer  of  technology  from consumer of technology. The Government under the leadership of Hon'ble PM envisioned an India Stack which has been successful in improving governance and deepening democracy. India is now world's largest connected Democracy with over 80 crore Indians accessing the internet and a global leader in digital payment systems.

Digital India also helped India give a resilient response to the Covid Pandemic, as over 200 crore  vaccinations  shots  were  delivered  using  the  Cowin  platform.  The  identity  layer  of Aadhaar led to one of the world's largest identity linked social benefits transfer program that could  deliver  benefits  directly  into  the  accounts  of  beneficiaries  residing  even  in  remote corners of the country.

In  terms of expanding economic opportunities, what was once a single dimensional digital economy has become a broad-based, high growth digital economy with components that are all growing rapidly and catalysing innovation ecosystem.

In  July  2021,  the  Hon'ble  Prime  Minister  referred  to  the  coming  decade  to  be  India's Techade,  wherein  the  data  and  demographic  dividend  combined  with  India's  proven  tech prowess will play a massive role in the growth and development of the country, creating new opportunities of jobs and entrepreneurship for Young Indians. This Techade will be designed, architected & built by Young Indians.

India can continue to shape the future of technology globally by focusing on the following key areas:

Entrepreneurship  and  Innovation: India  has  a  large  pool  of  skilled  engineers  and innovators who have made significant contributions to the global tech industry. India has the 3 rd largest  startup  ecosystem  in  the  world,  having  108  unicorns  and  is  expected  to  witness annual growth of 12-15%.

Research and Development: Emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Advanced Data Analytics, 5G Advanced/6G, Cloud technologies, Quantum technologies, Augmented and Virtual Reality, Additive Manufacturing, Robotics and Block chain  etc.  will  redefine  the  future  of  technology  led  transformation.  Several  Centres  of Excellence  have  been  setup  to  promote  innovation  in  these  areas.  The  Government  has launched initiatives such as the National Program on Artificial Intelligence and the National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications. Efforts are also on to enable Indian IT professionals attain world  class skills in these technologies through  a Future Skills Programme.

Digital Infrastructure: Digital  India Programme is leading the transformation in India for ease of living and digital economy. India has the world's largest Digital Identity Programme with 136 crore Aadhaar, which has helped poor to receive benefits directly in their accounts. MeitY has identified Public Digital Platforms as the main catalysts in the overall growth and transformational  change  in  the  economy.  Digital  platforms  like  Aadhaar,  UPI,  GeM,

DigiLocker,  DIKSHA,  Co-Win,  etc.,  have  demonstrated  the  transformational  potential  of nationwide  digital  platforms.  The  Ayushman  Bharat  Digital  Health  Mission  has  been launched as a nationwide digital platform in healthcare.

The year 2022-23 witnessed the launch of several new transformational initiatives such as My Scheme  (as  eligibility-based  service  discovery  platform),  Meri  Pehchaan  (as  National Single  Sign-On  Platform),  India  Stack  Global  (as  a  repository  of  India  Stack  solutions), GENESIS (Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups Programme), among others.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) : AI is a kinetic enabler for taking forward current investments in technology  and  innovation.  In  2020,  India  had  joined  the  Global  Partnership  on  Artificial Intelligence  (GPAI),  an  international  initiative  to  support  responsible  and  human-centric development and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). It works in collaboration with partners and  international  organisations,  leading  experts  from  industry,  civil  society,  governments, and academia to collaborate to promote responsible evolution of AI and guide the responsible development and use of AI, grounded in human rights, inclusion, diversity, innovation, and economic  growth.  It  is  a  first-of-its-type  initiative  for  evolving  better  understanding  of challenges and opportunities around AI. This year, India is the Chair of the GPAI.

Technology in Semiconductors, Electronics and IT Hardware : The Government of India has  implemented  a  range  of  proactive  and  pre-emptive  initiatives  to  promote  basic  and applied research in deep tech to accelerate the growth of the deep tech innovation ecosystem in  the  country.  Schemes for Mobile Phones, IT Hardware and Electronic components have been  successful  in  encouraging  global  participation  in  India's  manufacturing  sector  while providing  a  fillip  to  domestic  companies  that  have  the  potential  to  compete  globally  and contribute  to  India's  economic  development.  India  Semiconductor  Mission(ISM)  has  been launched  to  enable  India's  emergence  as  a  global  hub  for  electronics  manufacturing  and design.

(b): The  Government  has  initiated  various  measures  to  promote  opportunities  in  the technology sector for the youth throughout India, such as:

-  Launch of Responsible AI for Youth: Government has launched Responsible AI for Youth 2022, on July 30, 2022.The Programme was designed to reach out to students from Government schools on pan India basis and provide them with an opportunity to become  part  of  the  skilled  workforce  in  an  inclusive  manner.  The  programme impacted 52,628 students across 35States and UTs, empowering youth with necessary AI skill sets, who had limited or no access to the latest technologies and resources.
-  YUVAi-  Youth  for  Unnati  and  Vikas  with  AI :  National  e-Governance  Division (NeGD), MeitY in collaboration with its partners, has launched 'YUVAi: Youth for Unnati  and  Vikas  with  AI'-  A  National  Programme  for  School  Students  with  the objective of enabling school students from classes 8 th to  12 th with AI tech and social skills  in  an  inclusive  manner.  The  programme  will  provide  a  platform  for  youth  to learn and apply AI skills in 8 thematic areas- Krishi, Aarogya, Shiksha, Paryavaran, Parivahan, Grameen Vikas, Smart Cities and Vidhi aur Nyaay.
-  Future  Skills  PRIME: Future  Skills  PRIME  is  a  Programme  for  Re-Skilling/UpSkilling of IT Manpower for employability. C-DAC being Programme Management Unit, aims  to re-skill/up-skill 4.12  lakh IT Professionals  in  ten(10)  emerging technologies including Additive Manufacturing, Block chain, Cyber Security, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics Process Automation, Social & Mobile, Big Data Analytics, Cloud Computing and Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality.12,73,815 candidates have signed-up on the portal, 5,24,777 candidates have enrolled in various courses, out of which 1,85,791 candidates have completed their course(s).
-  INSPIRE: 'Innovation  in  Science  Pursuit  for  Inspired  Research  (INSPIRE)'  is  a flagship scheme of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) which aims to attract  meritorious  youth  to  study  basic  and  natural  sciences  at  the  college  and university level and to pursue research careers in both basic and applied science areas
- including  engineering,  medicine,  agriculture  and  veterinary  sciences.  The  ultimate aim is to expand the R&D base of the country.
-  Atal  Innovation  Mission: NITI  Aayog  has  initiated  an  AIM-State  partnership  for helping in strengthening the existing innovation ecosystem in the states/UTs. AIM is proposing  joint  efforts  with  states  to  create  a  strategy  for  infrastructure,  processes, human resources, and policies in building a holistic innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem  in  the  state,  and  proposes  to  do  so  through  the  transfer  of  know-how, expertise, mentorship, and interconnections.
-  India  BPO  Scheme: India  BPO  Promotion  Scheme  (IBPS)  was  initiated  in  2016 under IT for Jobs pillar of Digital India Programme. The scheme aims to incentivize setting-up of BPO/ITeS operations across the country, particularly in small towns/cities,  to  create  employment  opportunities  and  promote  the  dispersal  of  the industry  for  balanced  regional  growth.  The  BPO/ITeS  units  starting  in  Tier-II/III locations are providing job opportunities to the youth near their home which would reduce the migration to metros and lower the attrition rate. The BPOs in small towns and cities are providing services in local languages, which would create employment opportunities for the local youth and services provided in local languages that results in better customer satisfaction.

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