Pitching idea of ‘power to empower’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said technology, data, knowledge and innovation are power and real value of lies in its purpose.
Addressing the Bloomberg New Economy Forum here, PM Modi said theme of this year's forum is on emerging powers and in third decade of 21st century big change is happening, where technology, data, knowledge and innovation is power.
The question is not who holds power but how it is used, whether technology will advance only few people or create opportunities for crores of people, he said.
This is where new idea is born and that idea is "power to empower", PM Modi said.
"Beyond power to control lies power to enable, beyond power to compete lies power to collaborate, beyond power to succeed lies power to help others succeed," he said, adding that it is very important to understand value of power in the current era.
PM Modi said India is 'mother of democracy' with more than 100 languages, about 80,000 registered newspapers and publications, more than 1,000 satellite TV channels and over 500 million YouTube users and over 500 million Instagram users in era.
In India, there is open debate on different issues, public discusses different viewpoints and digital power has played big role in present times, he said.
He said 12-13 years ago mobile internet reach was also a power, whoever had access had information, knowledge and opportunity.
After 2014, when new government got opportunity to serve, India focused on making mobile data affordable, he said.
As result, even small shopkeeper in village can reach customer, PM Modi said, adding that in India connectivity has not only connected people but also connected and offered opportunities and this is power to empower.
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