During his visit to Silicon Valley,Narendra Modi met Google’s CEO SundarPichai, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and other giant’s tech leaders today. The objective of Modi’s visit to Silicon Valley is to implement his dream of having a ‘Digital India’. It is after 33 years that an Indian head has visited California.
The other tech leaders that Modi met are Qualcomm’s Paul Jacobs, Adobe’s ShantanuNarayen, Cisco’s John Chambers and the president of Indus entrepreneurs. He also visited the tesla motor plant and met Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Narendra Modi addressed a technology leader’s gathering in which he shared his vision for ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’. The tech leaders announced their company’s plans in cooperating with India to realise the vision.
“As our economy and our lives get more wired, we are also giving the highest importance to data privacy and security, intellectual property rights and cyber security,” he said at a dinner interaction with Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayan, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Qualcomm executive chairman Paul Jacobs and Google CEO Sunder Pichai.
“We will transform governance, making it more transparent, accountable, accessible and participative,” Modi further added.
According to Modi, digital India was born out of off opinion and it is possible to change the lives of weak, far and poor Indian citizens. This will also change the way India lives and works.
“We will connect all schools and colleges with broadband. Building I-ways are as important as highways,” he said.
“We are expanding our public Wi-Fi hotspots. For example, we want to ensure that free Wi-Fi is not only there in airport lounges, but also on our railway platforms. Teaming up with Google, we will cover 500 railway stations in a short time,” he said.
The government, he said, wants to free citizens from the burden of excessive paper documents in every office.
“Since my government came to office last year, we have attacked poverty by using the power of networks and mobile phones to launch a new era of empowerment and inclusion: 180 million new bank accounts in a few months; direct transfer of benefits to the poor; funds for the unbanked; insurance within the reach of the poorest; and, pension for the sunset years for all,” he said.
Sunder Pichai, CEO of Google, said that Mr Modi have the paced the effort of making India the next innovation driver, India is a fast growing start-up.
“We are proud of what is happening in India and share Prime Minister’s vision of digital India,” he said.
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