Staff Reporter / New Delhi
Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw today said the government’s focus in the next five years will be on manufacturing as it has huge employment potential. The minister was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the Viksit Bharat Strategy Room and NITI for States Platform here.
He said, it is indeed very satisfying that today the country has all the data collated and a platform where the best practices can be seen and compared. He emphasised that presently the country’s development thinking stands on four pillars which include physical, digital and social Infrastructure, Inclusive development, Manufacturing and Simplification. He said, the largest inclusive development programme anywhere in the history of the world is today being implemented in India. The Minister said, nearly 51 crores Jan Dhan accounts have been opened in India which is equivalent to providing benefits to the total population of Europe. He said, around 11 crore gas connections were provided across the country which is equivalent to changing the cooking behaviour of Japan’s populace. Mr Vaishnaw also highlighted that close to 55 billion dollars mobile phone connections were made available in the country. He said, the country used to import 98 percent of mobile phones 10 years back and today it is manufacturing and exporting 99 percent of mobile phones.
During the event, the Minister also launched Samarth training modules which will be backed by testing mechanisms to certify the competency of district and block level officials.
Meanwhile, NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said NITI For States platform is one of the vital programs, which will play a fundamental role in handholding states. It is the largest experiment in the world where a country of this size is seeking its future as a developed nation.