India is the voice of fairness, India is the voice of equity”: Scindia
The sunday mail
New Delhi। Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region,Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, addressed the Fourth Kautilya Economic Conclave in New Delhi on “Communications: Emerging Technologies.
Reflecting on the conclave’s theme “Seeking Prosperity in Turbulent Times,” the Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has transformed global challenges into opportunities through foresight and resilience.
Scindia recalled the lessons from the global pandemic, noting how industries and even education depended on a microchip no larger than a fingernail. He emphasized that India transformed this challenge into an opportunity, guided by the ancient wisdom of Chanakya, who advised asking why, what, and how before taking action.
The Minister highlighted India’s ₹76,000 crore India Semiconductor Mission, which includes setting up fabrication units across multiple states and skilling 85,000 youth. Investments in this sector have already exceeded ₹1.6 lakh crore, establishing India as a self-reliant and future-ready economy.
Scindia observed that turbulence has become a constant in global history, with conflicts, protectionism, climate shocks, and inflation testing nations’ resilience. Amidst this compounded uncertainty, India has achieved 7.8 percent GDP growth in the first quarter of FY 2025 -2026 ।
Highlighting India’s communications sector, the Minister said the country has over 1.22 billion telephone subscribers and 944 million broadband users, growing more than fifteen times in the last decade. India has achieved the world’s fastest 5G rollout, connecting 99.8 percent of districts in just 22 months.
Minister Scindia remarked that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently emphasized that “Atmanirbhar Bharat is not just a vision, it is a mission to turn crises into opportunities and build a self-reliant India capable of leading the world.” In line with this vision, the Prime Minister recently unveiled India’s first fully indigenous 4G stack of BSNL in Jharsuguda, Odisha which is developed in collaboration with C-DOT, Tejas Networks, and TCS. Under this initiative, 92,564 towers have been commissioned, connecting regions from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Bharuch to Arunachal Pradesh.
India has joined a select group of five nations capable of delivering a complete, indigenous telecom ecosystem. BSNL has returned to profitability after seventeen years, with its subscriber base rising from 78 lakh to 2.2 crore within a year. Scindia noted that all towers are upgradable to 5G, preparing India for future technological demands.
Scindia noted that artificial intelligence is the next frontier of communications. Through the IndiaAI Mission, India is creating large-scale computing infrastructure, supporting homegrown foundational models, and empowering startups and research institutions. Private players have deployed 38,000 GPUs worth ₹20,000 crore, with total ecosystem investments projected to exceed $10 billion.
The Minister stressed that AI should be developed in Indian languages, for Indian priorities, and not treated as an imported product. He cited the Bhashini app as a live example of AI translation empowering citizens in real-time. India aims to emerge as one of the top five AI nations globally.
Scindia concluded by highlighting India’s achievements in fintech, telecommunications, renewable energy, startups, and scientific research. India ranks first in mobile data consumption, second in internet users and mobile phone manufacturing, third in startups and scientific talent, and fourth in renewable energy capacity.
