Modi calls for making a ‘digital India’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his maiden speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort has called upon the nation, its people, its businesses and its government to work towards making India a ‘digital India’.

In a more than an hour-long speech, which was an extempore and not read out from a script as in the past, Modi said that till some years back India was known as the land of snakes and black magic but the Indian IT professionals have made a mark globally and given the country a new identity. And just like railways which connected all parts of the country to each other, now it is IT that is connecting the nation together.

Modi stressed on the need for e-governance and m-governance for the future of India so that people in every nook and corner of the country can benefit through technologies like tele-education and tele-medicine. He coined a new mantra when he said that e-governance actually makes governance easy, effective and economical.

Continuing his belief on domestic manufacturing, Modi once again re-iterated that ‎IT and electronics have the second biggest import bill after oil, which is a matter of concern, and should be addressed by encouraging manufacturing in the country.

He reached out to international companies with a slogan--"Come make in India", and said Indian manufacturers must try to ensure that out of whatever they make here in India, at least one item should be exported so that "made in India" becomes a global reality.

He said that the focus of Indian manufacturers should be “zero defect and zero effect”- zero effect alluding to environment friendly manufacturing.

A very interesting proposal from Modi was the announcement of 'Model Village Scheme'‎ where he called upon each and every MP, MLA, MLC in Lok Sabah, Rajya Sabha, and State assemblies to adopt one village in their constituency and make it a model village in all aspects including use of ICT and digital connectivity for all. That will lead to thousands of villages becoming modern villages within a few years, and will have a snowball effect all across.

In making all this happen Modi said that the various Government ministries and departments must have a single common mission. He said that today he is pained to see Government departments often fighting among themselves. He also stressed that the private sector can and must play a significant role through the CSR route.

Modi also announced that the Planning Commission will be scrapped or revamped with a new model because State Governments need to have a bigger control and role over funds. Modi also said that his desire was to see the SAARC nations joining hands to fight poverty and working for regional progress.

The overall reaction to the new Prime Minister's Independence Day speech was quite positive, even from his critics and political opponents.