Taking a swipe at the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the country is now making rapid strides in the telecom sector with 5G and 6G which will help boost growth in every sector after "losing a decade due to policy paralysis and corruption in the 2G scam".
Addressing the silver jubilee celebrations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), PM Modi said, "The country has made rapid strides from 3G to 4G and now 5G and 6G, to come out of the despair, frustration, corruption, policy paralysis of the 2G era. Our telecom sector is a great example of how self-reliance and healthy competition create a multiplier effect in society and the economy."
PM Modi launched a 5G Test Bed, developed as a multi-institute collaborative project by eight institutes led by IIT Madras.
"The 5G Test Bed is an important step towards the country's self-reliance on critical and modern technology in the telecom sector. The technology is also going to bring positive changes in the governance of the country, ease of living and ease of doing business. This will boost growth in every sector including agriculture, health, education, infrastructure and logistics. This will also create many employment opportunities," PM Modi said.
According to the Prime Minister's Office, the Test Bed project has been developed at a cost of more than ₹ 220 crore. The Test Bed will enable a supportive ecosystem for Indian industry and startups which will help them validate their products, prototypes, solutions and algorithms in 5G and next-generation technologies
PM Modi said connectivity will determine the pace of progress of the country in the 21st century and emphasised the need for modernization of connectivity at every level.
He further pointed out that every village in the country today is being connected with optical fibre.
"Before 2014, not even 100-gram panchayats in India were connected to optical fibr. Today broadband connectivity has reached about 2.5 lakh gram panchayats. To make mobile phones accessible to the poorest of the poor families, we have emphasized on manufacturing of mobile handsets in the country itself. The result was that the mobile manufacturing units increased from 2 to over 200," he pointed out.
PM Modi said that India is the fastest expanding country in the world in terms of teledensity and internet users.
"Now the country is marching ahead with the 'whole of government' approach by moving beyond the thinking in silos that took place earlier. In the last 8 years, we have infused new energy in the telecom sector with the Panchamrita of Reach, Reform, Regulate, Respond and Revolutionize. TRAI has played a very important role in it."
Also read: Nation lost a decade due to Congress’s nepotism, policy paralysis & scams, says PM Modi
