At the India Mobile Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the nation to become self-sufficient in cybersecurity, citing control over the value chain as a means of ensuring the safety of the nation’s digital infrastructure for both software and hardware.
“Self-reliance is critical to cybersecurity across the whole industrial value chain, including networking, software, and hardware. PM Modi stated at the seventh India Mobile Congress that “it will help us to keep them secure when everything in the value chain is under our national domain.”
The Prime Minister’s remarks are especially significant because they follow India’s subsequent reversal of attempts to prohibit laptop and computer imports. However, as China accounts for the majority of these imports, the reasoning behind the action was to protect India’s digital networks.
The PM said that India should establish itself as a thinking leader as a logical step from being an adopter and implementer of technology, stating that the 21st century is the moment for India’s thought leadership in the technology arena.
Comparing the previous administration to outdated cell phones that were constantly in “hang mode,” Modi made a political jab at the opposition.
“We must keep in mind how far we have come. Older phones used to hang earlier, and you could swipe the screen to release it, but it wouldn’t work. The government at the time was always in a state of hang mode, he claimed. People left such an antiquated phone behind in 2014, giving us the chance to help. The alterations are really evident,” he continued.
Modi reaffirmed that India has had the fastest 5G rollout globally, with 4 lakh base stations covering about 80% of the population in less than a year. He added that faster internet speeds improve people’s quality of life in addition to being a matter of rankings and statistics.
“We are striving for universal access to technology benefits and a dignified life for all; in my opinion, this is the greatest social justice,” the prime minister declared. India will “lead the world” in 6G technology, he continued.
The PM stated that the government was “proud that the world is using Made in India phones,” highlighting the rise in electronics manufacturing activity taking place in India.
“We are now an exporter; we used to import phones. We used to be virtually unknown in the manufacturing sector, but now we are the second-largest producer of electronics. Previously, the manufacturing of electronics lacked a coherent vision. We export gadgets worth Rs 2 lakh crore today.” Along with the recent announcement by Google that it will produce Pixel phones in India, Modi mentioned that Samsung’s Fold 5 and iPhone 15 are already being produced there.