Narendra Modi says India's contribution towards fourth industrial revolution will leave world stunned

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India’s contribution towards the fourth industrial revolution will be one that will leave the world stunned. He made the statement at the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in New Delhi.

Modi expressed confidence that India will bring about an “irreversible” and “positive” change in the world in the years to come. The prime minister also said that artificial intelligence, machine learning, internet of things, blockchain and big data hold the potential to take India to new heights.

“When the first and second industrial revolutions took place, India was under colonial rule. When the third industrial revolution took place, India was struggling to deal with the challenges present after Independence. But India will not remain untouched by the fourth industrial revolution,” Modi said.

Listing out the achievements of the NDA government since it came to power in 2014, Modi said that tele-density had increased to 93 percent and nearly 50 crore Indians now have mobile phones. “India is the country that has the most data usage and is also the country with the cheapest data,” he said.

The prime minister also addressed concerns about technological innovations adversely affecting employment. “The truth is that ‘Industry 4.0’ will open up opportunities that remained untouched till now. This will change the nature of jobs to a fair extent. Taking into account this reality, the government of India is undertaking programmes such as Skill India Mission, Start Up India, Stand Up India and the Atal Innovation Mission,” he said.