India a vibrant democracy that can deliver digitally says Union Minister Smriti

DAVOS: At the World Economic Forum in Davos the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) on Wednesday hosted the CII-Deloitte Breakfast Session on "Digital Public Infrastructure and India's Impact on Global Technology Value Chains" The session hosted by CII showcased India's prowess as a vibrant democracy capable of delivering digitally.

During the session, Union Minister Smriti Irani emphasized India's success in delivering technology-driven solutions to its massive population, exceeding a billion. The minister highlighted India's digital capabilities and the significant demand for data science professionals in the country. Speaking at the session Union Minister Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani said "India is a vibrant democracy that can deliver digitally. It has delivered through technology to a billion+ population. All those who are keen to invest in India, the demand for data science professionals in India in 2024 alone is for one million professionals."

"Irrespective of the challenges that the pandemic brought, India carried out very substantial policy reform and performed digitally to protect its populace. India did not lose opportunities to engage globally and were never shut for business even during the pandemic" the Minister added.

Speaking at the session CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said that Digital infrastructure ie leading to innovation in India. "Digital Public Infrastructure has affected a large number of businesses including small, medium and large and is leading to a lot of innovation in the country. Further, DPI is being offered to the world free of cost, which is an example to share with the rest of the world. The low cost of doing business & ease of doing business is encouraging more and more people in doing business with India" Chandrajit Banerjee said.

Arvind Krishna Chairman and CEO of IBM who was also part of the CII-Deloitte Breakfast Session said that India's digital public infrastructure had contributed significantly to productivity. "During the pandemic, the digital infrastructure in India enabled people to work remotely. All the deliveries and e-commerce allowed people to work, which contributed significantly to increased productivity and GDP, which would not have been possible without the digital public infrastructure" Arvind Krishna said.

 R Dinesh, President, CII & Chairman TVS Supply Chain Solutions said India is on the cuso of an exciting journey. "Infrastructure spends and tracking - this is where the companies are investing both from business as well as the competitiveness perspective to get the visibility of infrastructure across the end user. India is on the cusp of a very exciting journey that will go through very different levels and will provide significant boost to ease of doing business for investors" R Dinesh said.

The acknowledgement of India's digital capabilities and the significant demand for data science professionals underscores the country's commitment to harnessing technology for socio-economic development and its appeal as an attractive destination for digital investments.