Diaspora youth have major role in widening tech innovation: NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant

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Youth of the Indian diaspora have a major role to play in widening tech innovation, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said adding that they are uniquely positioned to contribute to India’s unprecedented tech and digital story.

“As a youth of our vibrant Indian diaspora, you have a massive role to play in widening tech innovation for a number of reasons. Firstly, you are young and you have the thirst to innovate, secondly, you have a passion to contribute to India and the world towards development,” said Kant during his virtual address at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conference Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022.

The conference focused on the role of diaspora youth in innovation and technology.

“Thirdly, you act as a bridge between the country you are in, their companies, their products, technologies. And finally you have the access to some of the best resources and ideas of the world,” Kant said.

“You are the future of India and the world. And so we want to see a vision for the future, said Kant, stressing, “We want you to use the existing form of technologies, apply your innovative mind and create new technologies that will take India and the world to the next level.”

“Remember, innovate in India and innovate for the world,” he added.

The NITI Ayog CEO also underlined that India witnessed an unprecedented level of technological lead in the past few years.

“In 2021, we added 3-4 unicorns every single month. We are now the 3rd largest start-up ecosystem in the world. We saw our startups making the India debut and the world,” said Kant.

“We have been adding a new internet user every three seconds. Over 750 million people are accessing smartphones. Six hundred thousand villages bought into the digital highway through high-speed internet connectivity,” Kant added.

Further, he emphasized that India has the world’s most unique payment system in the world in form of Unified Payment Interface, which in 2021 processed over 38 billion payment transactions amounting to Rs 71.5 trillion.

India celebrates Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) on 9th January every year to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development of India.