India's digitisation process gets going! Google announces Rs 75,000 cr to India Digitisation Fund
Total Views |
New Delhi, July 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had an "extremely fruitful interaction with Sundar Pichai, Chief Executive Officer of Alphabet Inc. and subsidiary Google LLC via video conferencing on Monday. Both of them had a discussion about the coronavirus crisis, technology for the benefit of India’s farmers and entrepreneurs. PM Modi was also delighted to know about the efforts put in by Google whether it is learning, education, or Digital India.
Firstly, Pichai briefed the Prime Minister about the efforts undertaken by Google to help spread awareness and provide reliable information about COVID-19. PM Modi appreciated the proactive role played by Google in battling misinformation and conveying information about necessary precautions.
This morning, had an extremely fruitful interaction with @sundarpichai. We spoke on a wide range of subjects, particularly leveraging the power of technology to transform the lives of India’s farmers, youngsters and entrepreneurs. pic.twitter.com/IS9W24zZxs
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 13, 2020
They discussed farmers benefiting from technology and the possible wide-ranging benefits of Artificial Integellince (AI) in agriculture. PM Modi explored the idea of virtual labs that can be used by students as well as farmers whereas Pichai mentioned the launch of AI Research Lab in Bengaluru. The AI flood forecasting system will help in alerting and evacuating areas that may get affected by natural disasters.
Prime Minister was briefed about Google’s plan to launch a large investment fund and develop strategic partnerships in India as Pichai announced a $10 billion investment in India. This investment in India is focused on contributing to accelerate India’s digital economy with this investment over the next five to seven years.
Today at #GoogleForIndia we announced a new $10B digitization fund to help accelerate India’s digital economy. We’re proud to support PM @narendramodi’s vision for Digital India - many thanks to Minister @rsprasad & Minister @DrRPNishank for joining us. https://t.co/H0EUFYSD1q
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) July 13, 2020
"Today, I’m excited to announce the Google for India Digitization Fund. Through this effort, we will invest ₹75,000 crores, or approximately $10 billion, into India over the next 5-7 years. We’ll do this through a mix of equity investments, partnerships, and operational, infrastructure, and ecosystem investments. This is a reflection of our confidence in the future of India and its digital economy," Pichai said.
It will be focussed on affordable access and information to every Indian irrespective of the language, building new products and services unique to India, empowering local businesses to move towards digital transformation, leveraging AI in areas like health, education, and agriculture. "We'll do this through a mix of equity investments, partnerships, and operational, infrastructure, and ecosystem investments. This is a reflection of our confidence in the future of India and its digital economy," said Pichai.
Later on, both of them had an interaction about the issues related to data security and privacy. He said that tech companies need to put in efforts to bridge the trust deficit," the statement read. Cybercrimes and threats in the form of cyberattacks were also part of the discussion.