PM Modi: Our aim should be to make the country self-reliant in the field of technology, PM said in Smart India Hackathon

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that today technology has become an important part of life, like never before. In such a situation, India's aim should be that it should not have to import technology or depend on anyone else for it. Our aim should be to make the country self-reliant in the field of technology. The Prime Minister was virtually addressing the participants of the grand finale of Smart India Hackathon 2023 on Tuesday.

Referring to the defense sector, the Prime Minister said, today India is working for self-reliance in defense technology. But there are still many things related to defense technology that we have to import. He said that similarly to increase our productive capacity, we will have to become self-reliant in semiconductor and chip technology. India also has very high aspirations in areas like quantum technology and hydrogen energy. The government is focusing on all such areas. But its success depends on the success of youth like you.

The world's eyes on India...

The Prime Minister said, 21st century India is moving forward with the mantra of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan, and Jai Anusandhan. Today the eyes of the whole world are fixed on the talented youth of India. India has the largest pool of talent in the world. The world is confident that India can provide affordable, good, sustainable, and scalable solutions to global challenges. PM said, that our Chandrayaan mission has increased the expectations of the world manifold. Keeping these expectations in mind, you have to innovate new technology in different fields. You have to decide your direction keeping in mind the modern needs of the country.

Our efforts will strengthen the foundation of thousand-year India...

The PM reiterated that the next 25 years of India's Amrit Kaal will be a defining period for young innovators. Today we are at a turning point in time where our efforts will strengthen the foundation of India for the next thousand years. This is a unique time. Many aspects are linked together. Today India is one of the youngest countries. There is a stable and strong government here. Today India's economy is growing at a record pace. Today, unprecedented emphasis is being given to science and technology in the country.

Foreign students will get help in studying in India...

PM interacted with Soikat Das and Protik Saha of NIE Mysore, who are building an IoT-based system for railway cargo. He said their efforts will benefit Indian Railways, which is going through a transitional phase. Logistics is the focus area and it is expected that many more students from Bangladesh will come to India in the future. 'Study in India' program will help such students. Actually, in this team, students from both Bangladesh and India are working together on inventing technology. He said that hackathons are a learning opportunity for him too and he is always eager to interact with the participants.

12 thousand participants are joining

48 nodal centers have been created across the country for the grand finale of the hardware and software editions of the Smart India Hackathon. Apart from solving 231 problems of 23 ministries, technology will also be invented in the competition. 12 thousand participants are participating in it. Each winning team will be awarded a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh per problem statement. While the total prize money is more than Rs 2 crore.

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