PM Modi Highlights India’s “Tech Renaissance” Fueled by $1.2Bn AI Mission

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a column for Business Standard on Wednesday, stated that India has emerged as one of the world’s top‑three startup ecosystems, with over 180,000 young ventures, terming this achievement the dawn of a “tech renaissance.”

PM Modi attributed India’s rapid ascent to AI‑skill penetration among its youth and the landmark $1.2 billion India AI Mission, which offers more than 34,000 GPU hours at under $1 per hour, making India not only the most affordable internet economy but also the world’s most cost‑effective compute destination.

Highlighting India’s “humanity‑first” approach to AI, he pointed to the New Delhi Declaration on AI and the establishment of nationwide AI centres of excellence as evidence of the country’s commitment to responsible innovation.

Looking ahead, Modi projected that the next decade would usher in an even more transformative phase, shifting India from “digital governance to global digital leadership” and from an “India‑first” vision to “India‑for‑the‑world.”

He emphasised that the Digital India programme has transcended its origins as a government initiative to become a true people’s movement—central to building an Aatmanirbhar Bharat and positioning India as a trusted innovation partner.

“To all innovators, entrepreneurs and dreamers,” Modi wrote, “the world is looking at India for the next digital breakthrough.”

India’s Global Digital Infrastructure

In the column, PM Modi also highlighted India’s digital public infrastructure (DPI), including Aadhaar, CoWIN, DigiLocker, Fastag, PM‑WANI and One Nation One Subscription, as a global model now studied and adopted by other nations.

CoWIN powered the world’s largest vaccination drive, issuing 2.2 billion QR‑verifiable certificates. DigiLocker, with 540 million registered users, securely hosts over 7.75 billion documents. Fastag has streamlined toll collection nationwide, while PM‑WANI and the One Nation One Subscription initiative are expanding affordable, high‑speed connectivity and content access across India.

Under India’s G20 presidency, Modi noted, New Delhi launched the Global DPI Repository and a $25 million Social Impact Fund to help countries in Africa and South Asia deploy inclusive digital ecosystems. These efforts, he wrote, demonstrate how India’s DPI is not only transforming domestic governance and service delivery but also serving as a blueprint for digital inclusion worldwide.