India / Digital tech helped us cope, connect, console during COVID-19: PM

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday, while giving the keynote address at the fifth edition of VivaTech, said cooperation among nations on digital technologies needs to grow to insulate the world against the next pandemic.

VivaTech is one of the largest digital and startup events in Europe, held in Paris every year since 2016.

PM Modi mentioned Indian IT company Infosys providing tech support for the French Open tennis tournament collaboration involving French companies like Atos, Capgemini and India’s TCS and Wipro as examples of IT talent of the two countries serving companies and citizens all over the world.

Modi lauded the role played by startups in addressing the shortage of essential medical supplies such as PPE kits, masks and testing kits amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This time last year, the world was still seeking a vaccine. Today, we have quite a few. Similarly, we have to continue repairing health infrastructure and our economies. We in India implemented huge reforms across sectors, be it mining, space, banking, atomic energy and more. This shows that India as a nation is adaptable and agile, even in the middle of the pandemic,” Modi said in his keynote address.

The prime minister also hailed the Indian government’s Covid-19 contact tracing apps and vaccine registration apps Aarogya Setu and CoWIN, even though the media and public at large have pointed out the glaring difficulties associated with the usage of these apps. Experts have said the use of the apps highlights India’s digital divide, where the poor, who lack technological know-how, have been unable to book slots for vaccination.

“When I speak about innovation before the pandemic, I refer to the pre-existing advances which helped us during the pandemic. Digital technology helped us cope, connect, comfort and console. Through digital media, we could work, talk with our loved ones and help others,” Modi added.