India in exciting period in technology space: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Chennai, July 7 (PTI) India is in an "exciting period" in the history of the country when it comes to the technology space, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday said.

Speaking at the 113th annual general meeting of industry body Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) here today, Chandrasekhar said the country has developed capabilities, capacities, and confidence in the last nine years, particularly with regard to technology and innovation.

Releasing the 'Emerging Tech Trends in 2023" guide at the event, the minister said that in the global value chain, electronics is the second highest traded commodity after hydrocarbons and energy but India did not find a place in it before 2014.

"I want to draw attention to two quotes — one from Google CEO Sundar Pichai, a son of Chennai and Tamil Nadu. He spoke about how it was almost prescient on the part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji to anticipate the power of technology and launch Digital India in 2015," Chandrasekhar said.

"Secondly, Apple CEO Tim Cook, when he met me and PM Modi ji, spoke about how investments in India had created an enabling environment for manufacturing electronics, which is why Apple could ramp up their operations here," he added.

Stating that the country has "travelled a significant distance" in technology advances in the past 9 years, he said, "Being a tech professional for over three decades, I can safely say that we are living in the most exciting period in the history of India." "After a lot of hard work, we have reached a point where we are the 5th largest economy in the world, the fastest growing economy in the world. We have developed capabilities, capacities, and confidence in the last 9 years in innovation and technology," he added.

SICCI President Ar Rm Arun in his address said countries like Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Taiwan have experienced negative growth over the past quarters, but India has been the lone bright spot with 6.1 per cent GDP.

Quoting Prime Minister Modi's comments that India grew when the states grew, Arun said Tamil Nadu has made significant steps to contribute to the India growth story.

"Our state is the second largest contributor to India's GDP and home to 80 plus Fortune 500 companies," he said. PTI VIJ ANE