Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the India of today is full of self-confidence which got also reflected at the frontiers. Congratulating the IT industry for its growth even during the pandemic-hit year in his address at the Nasscom Technology & Leadership Forum 2021, Modi said that it is important not to think ourselves as weak in the face of challenges and nor should we run away from these challenges. His comments came after China and India last week started started their simultaneous withdrawal of troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh after a nine month-long stand-off. "India has confidence we will keep India secure," he said. Lauding India's IT industry for continuing to run its operations smoothly even during the period of severe restrictions when most of the people were inside the four walls of their houses, Modi said that the industry is expected to continue its growth momentum and achieve new milestones. "When the chips were down, the core of India's IT industry kept things running. The last year's statistics may surprise the world, but India isn't surprised knowing your ability. When every sector was severely affected by the pandemic, you registered a growth of 2 per cent," Modi said. Modi said that the government is taking numerous steps to free the IT industry from unnecessary regulations. Saying that the National Digital Communications Policy is a step towards that direction, the Prime Minister also mentioned recently announced liberalised regulations on geospatial data, making it freely available in the country for innovation and IT companies. The change is made specifically for Indian companies through updating the current guidelines pertaining to developing map technologies. "Geospatial reforms will not only strengthen the IT sector but help us in building 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'," he said.
"This step will empower our tech start-up ecosystem," he added. He said the India will not be able to build future leadership in an environment of constraints. Modi laid emphasis on the need for transparency as a display for minimum government and good governance in the country, during his opening address at Nasscom forum. "In order to make India the global technological leader, we have to create world-class products that are Made in India for the world," he said. He said that today data is being democratised and last mile services are being improved. The Prime Minister urged the private sector to make products so that even the poor can make use of optical fibre network infrastructure which is being strengthened. He also said that India's move to provide made-in-India Covid-19 vaccine has become an inspiration to the world.