Hyderabad, Oct 11 (Representative) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the development Journey of the country is on two key pillars –Technology and Talent and the Technology brought transformation. In his address at United Nations World Geospatial International Congress through virtual mode, Modi said ‘I am glad to be interacting with all of you as part of the 2nd International Congress. This conference is being held in Hyderabad which is known for its culture, cuisine, hospitality and hi-tech vision. Elaborating further, the Prime Minister said the theme of this conference is ‘Geo-enabling the Global Village : No one should be left behind’. We have been working on as vision of Antyodaya, empowering the last person ast the last mile, in a mission mode, he said, adding that it is this vision that has guided us in last mile empowerment at a massive scale. Modi said taking sanitation facilities to 110 million families and tap water connections to over 60 million families, India is ensuing that no one is left behind. Touching upon on Technology, the Prime Minister said India is the world’s number one in real-time digital payments. If you venture out, you will see even the smallest vendors accept, even prefer, digital payments. Similarly, it was through technology that we helped the poor during Covid-19. He said In India, technology is not an agent of exclusion but it is an agent of inclusion.
Stating that all people are associated with the geo-spatial sector, Modi said geo-spatial technology has been driving inclusion and progress. We are using drones to map properties in villages. Using this data, villagers are receiving property cards, the Prime Minister said and added that for the first time in decades, people in rural asreas have clear documents of ownership.On public housing scheme, he said it has provided homes to nearly 24 million poor families. Women are sole or joint owners of almost 70 per cent of these houses. These steps have a direct impact on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals on poverty and gender equality, Modi said.Our ambitious PM Gati Shakti Masterplan is building multi-model infrastructure. It is beingpowered by geo-spatial technology. Our Digital Ocean platform is using geo-spatial technology for manangement of our oceans. This is crucial for our environment and marine eco-sytem, he added. Speaking on Talent, Modi said India is a young nation with great innovative spirit. We are among the top startup hubs in the world and added since 2021, we have almost doubled the numbber of unicorn startups. This is due to India’s young talent, he explained. The Prime Minister said the government has opened the geo-spatial sector for our bright, young minds.
All the datas collected over two centuries suddenly became free and accessible. Collection, generation and digitization of geo-spatial data are now democratised.Modi said along with the geo-spatial sector, we gave a key boost to our drone sector. The space sector has also opened up for private participation. 5G is taking off in India as well. Access to existing data, drone technology to get new data, platform for space capabilities and high-speed connectivity will be a game-changer for young India and the world, he added. On COVID-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister said it have been a wake up call for the world in taking everyone along. He said Billions of people in the developing world needed diagnostics, medicines, medical equipment, vaccines and more. Yet they were left to their own fate and added there is a need for an institutional approach by the International community to help each other during a crisis. Modi said even in fighting climate change, hand-holding and technology transfer are crucial and we share the same planet. ‘I am sure we can share best practices for saving our planet too. The possibilities that geo-spatial technology offers are endless.’ ‘I wish that this conference becomes a platform to discuss developments in such important areas,’ the PM said.