Industry Applauds ‘Digital India’ move, top Corporates commit to invest Rs 4.5 trillion

India’s top industrialists including Cyrus Mistry, MukeshAmbani, Anil Ambani, Kumar Mangalam Birla and Sunil Bharti Mittal applaud
ed the government’s Rs 1.13-lakh-crore Digital India programme, saying it had the potential to bridge the digital divide and
benefit billions of people through digital solutions in education, healthcare and irrigation sectors.

At the unveiling of the Digital India Week by Prime Minister NarendraModi, India’s top billionaires pledged around Rs 4.5 lakh crore to projects related to Digital India, which could generate employments for some 18 lakh people. “Digital India will help India to create a knowledgeable society and will provide government services within a short time,” said Cyrus Mistry, chairman of Tata Sons.

He said Tata Consultancy Services, which is majority owned by the Tata Group, has been an active contributor to e-governance programmes and the company will hire 60,000 IT professionals this year.

Reliance IndustriesBSE 1.02 % Chairman MukeshAmbani said his company would invest Rs 2.5 lakh crore across different Digital India heads, which have the potential to create employment for over five lakh people. “Normally, industry moves faster than government but with Digital India it is different. I have no hesitation in saying that government has moved faster,” he said. He also announced setting up of the ‘Jio Digital India Start Up Fund’ to encourage young entrepreneurs who are setting up who are setting up businesses focused around the Digital India initiative.

The Rs 1.13-lakh-crore Digital India project is aimed at broadening digital access for all Indians and making sure that government functions and services are available online to citizens.

“I dream of Digital India where 1.2 billion connected Indians drive the nation,” said the Prime Minister at the launch of the Digital India Week, which will take technology to the villages and block levels over the course of the next week.

Appreciating the PM’s vision for a digitally empowered economy, Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman of Bharti Enterprises, said Modi “understands the power of technology and how it can transform the nation”. Mittal said his company would build on India’s existing extensive telecom network and spend over Rs 1 lakh crore in the next five years. Bharti group companyBhartiAirtel is India’s largest mobile phone operator.

Based on the above announcements made at the Digital India Week by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, following are the reactions from IT industry – (Read More : Click Here )

“The ‘Digital India’ program can indeed empower inclusive and sustainable growth by harnessing the power of talent and technology to create the India of tomorrow. With initiatives such as countrywide broadband access and digital locker linked with Aadhaar and mobile, the possibilities are endless. However, people, their information and country’s critical information infrastructure needs to be properly and adequately secured. As the largest cybersecurity organization globally, Symantec is committed to the Digital India initiative. Recognizing the goals of the “Digital India” agenda and inspired by the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister Modi and Minister for Communication and Information Technology Mr. Prasad, Symantec recently announced a partnership with NASSCOM that intends to train 50,000 cyber security professionals,” said Sanjay Rohatgi, Senior Vice President – Sales, Asia, Pacific and Japan, Symantec.

While launching the   Digital India initiative,  Prime Minister NarendraModi mentioned in his speech “What stop us from making electronic goods in India? We invite our industry leaders to come forward and start manufacturing”.  Vice President MAIT, NitinKunkolienker says, “ while new investments into electronics manufacturing is welcome, government shoudencourage  existing IT Hardware Manufacturers.

Vice President MAIT, NitinKunkolienke also welcomed the investment of Rs. 4.5 lakh crore in IT sector and employment for 18 lakh people. He says, it will efficiently effect the growth of the employment and technological learning will be at an express mode when Digital India combines with Make in India. He also added that  skillets already exists and there is spare manufacturing capacity that exists should be utilised.

IESA lauds Indian Government’s Digital India initiative. It is a colossal project even on a global scale, delivering services digitally to every one of 1.2 Billion citizens in the country. Inclusion is an integral part of the program – Inclusion of all citizens in availing digital services and equally important, inclusion of all cross sections of the Industry – Indian start-ups, small, medium and large and multinational enterprises in innovation, engineering and manufacturing of electronic devices & equipment. Make in India is an integral part of Digital India. IESA is proud to be associated with the Digital India initiative and will leverage the collective value of its members to realize Digital India and Make in India, said VinayShenoy, Chairman, India Electronics and Semiconductors Association.

“Microsoft is proud to be a part of Digital India launch and believe that technology can uniquely support the government’s initiatives in key areas including: rural internet connectivity, digital cloud services for all it’s citizens, and communications and productivity services for the Government. We believe that the democratizing force of software and digital technology will enable India’s future innovators and entrepreneurs to purse their dreams, Indian businesses to transform and seize the opportunities ahead and enable the talent and ingenuity of the human capital in India to thrive,” said Microsoft CEO, SatyaNadella.