Arun Kumar | 06 Feb, 2016
India's future as a
technology powerhouse and its plans to connect India's 600,000 villages to the
Internet through the Digital India programme were the focus of a roundtable of
top American and Indian companies.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Startup India initiative also came up at the
roundtable with Indian Minister for Communications & IT Ravi Shankar Prasad
hosted by the US-India Business Council (USIBC) at Cambridge, Massachusetts, on
Friday.
The roundtable was attended by USIBC President Mukesh Aghi and senior
executives of American and Indian companies that included Google, AT&T, MasterCard,
Facebook, American Tower Corporation, UST Global and iTech.
USIBC comprises 350 top-tier US and Indian companies advancing US-India
commercial ties.
"Digital India provides an enormous investment opportunity for both global
technology companies and startups from tech hubs like Boston and Silicon
Valley," Prasad said.
"India is sitting on the cusp of a digital revolution," he said.
"Whether it is big metropolitan cities or small towns, a well-connected
India has the potential to not only usher in economic and welfare opportunities
for its citizens, but also the global economic order."
The Indian "government is taking every policy decision in a transparent,
predictable and reasonable manner," Prasad said encouraging "American
businesses to take advantage of the Digital India programme, and the growth
opportunities in India."
Prasad also outlined the progress that has already been made to implement
Digital India programme and his priorities for the future.
Aghi said, "Prime Minister Modi's directive to connect Indians across the
country is a tremendous opportunity for both Indian and US companies
alike."
Noting that 85 percent of Indians still do not have access to the Internet, he
said "the government could make it easier to obtain clearances to install
cell phone towers."
"IT infrastructure can be further expanded by lifting the ban on foreign
satellite operators so they can provide spectrum in hard-to-reach areas."
Dan Gupta of UST Global commented on the economic growth that can be spurred by
the Digital India initiative and adoption of key technologies across sectors.
"By some estimations, the Digital India initiative could help boost
India's gross domestic product (GDP) by around $550 billion - upping its GDP by
$1 trillion by 2025," he said.
Sonny Khurana, CEO of iTech, praised the rapid strides in connectivity and the
startup ecosystem under the current government.