Centre bets $ billions on Digital India

 The Centre is hoping to attract investments to the tune of billions of dollars during the Digital India week which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 1.

Though the government doesn’t have exact figures on the expected investment, it will be to the tune of billions of dollars, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will present the NDA government’s roadmap for digitising India at the event which is expected to be attended by 10,000 guests.

The PM will also unveil various government schemes under the Digital India programme like Digital Locker, eEduction, and eHealth during the event.

Global business leaders like Airbus India CEO Peter Gutsmiedl, RIL Chairman and MD Mukesh Ambani, Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry, Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, Wipro Chairman Azim Premji, Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani, Sterlite Technologies Chairman Anil Agarwal, Adiya Birla Group Chairman Kumaramangalam Birla, etc. have confirmed their participation.

Nidec Corporation Vice Chairman Mikio Katayama, and Delta Electronics CEO Ping Cheng are among the overseas business leaders who have confirmed participation.

Though the ministry also reached out to Microsoft's Bill Gates and CEO Satya Nadella along with Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy, they will not be able to attend due to other engagements.

The Digital India programme includes projects that aim to ensure government services are available to citizens electronically so that people benefit from the latest in information and communication technology. The Ministry of Communications and IT is the nodal agency.

During the Digital India week, apart from the national launch by the PM, there will also be state-level events conducted in the presence of either chief ministers or high level dignitaries, an official statement said.

‘Net Neutrality report soon’

Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday said the government will soon come out with its report on Net Neutrality and is also waiting for the report from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).