World Faces 'bloodless' Cyber War says India’s PM

Digital India: The Opportunity

Articulating global worries over cyber security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said India should come up with solutions to meet the challenge posed by this threat of "bloodless war" as he launched a digital campaign to which top companies pledged Rs 4.5 lakh crore.

Inaugurating 'Digital India Week', he pitched for a digital revolution in the country, saying it is necessary to deal with problems like corruption, help provide transparent and efficient governance and bridge the rich-poor divide.

"We have to move from E-governance to M-governance. M-governance does not mean Modi governance. It means Mobile governance," he said in the presence of several ministerial colleagues and who's who of Indian industry and CEOs of some global companies.

The Prime Minister noted that India has huge capabilities in the field of IT and promised to encourage manufacturing within the country of electronic goods, which account for second largest imports after petroleum products. He specifically mentioned start-ups in this regard.

While highlighting the advantages of the IT, Modi said, at the same time, "clouds of a bloodless war are hovering over the world. The world is terrified by this....India has a big role to play in this.

"Can India play this big role? India has talent. Can India provide a shield to the world by providing innovative and credible solutions? Why should we not have such a confidence? We should accept this challenge to ensure that the entire humanity lives in peace," Modi said.

While talking about dangers posed to cyber security, he said, "somebody with education of 10th or 12th class, sitting thousands of miles away, can clean up your bank account with a click of mouse." This situation needs to be addressed, he said.

Noting that India had lagged behind when the world went through the industrial revolution, the Prime Minister said he dreams of a "Digital India' where government services are easily available to citizens on mobile devices.

"I dream of a Digital India where government proactively engages with people through social media... I dream of Digital India where cyber security becomes integral part of national security," he said, reminding the audience of the historical speech of Martin Luther King.

Citing advantages of IT, Modi said it helps in dealing with problems like corruption. "Technology played a big role in auction of coal mines. So many coal mines were auctioned but there is no allegation against the government because it was all done in a transparent manner," he said.

Pointing out that times have changed and the India will be left behind unless it carries out revolution in the IT field, the Prime Minister exhorted the industry to boost production of electronic devices and goods in the country, as part of the "Make in India" initiative, to reduce dependence on imports.

He called upon the youth to innovate and said "Design in India" is as important as "Make in India."

Promising government support to 'start ups', Modi said India has the potential of becoming the second country after the USA in this area.

The Prime Minister said that earlier, India was criticized for launching satellites, but now it was recognized that these satellites help the common man, for instance, farmers through accurate weather forecasting.

He said in the future, people would prefer to live along the 'Digital Highways' like in earlier ages populations would settle along rivers and seas and later along the highways of roads.
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