South Asian Correspondent

Tag: G20

  • “India’s 3 Priorities On Digital Economy Are…”: Ashwini Vaishnaw At G20 Meet

    “India’s 3 Priorities On Digital Economy Are…”: Ashwini Vaishnaw At G20 Meet

    PM Modi addressed the G20 Digital Economy Ministers' Meet via video message today.
    PM Modi addressed the G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ Meet via video message today.

    New Delhi: Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday highlighted the three priority areas selected by the Indian presidency for the Digital Economy Working Group while addressing the G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ Meeting — Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), Security in Digital Economy, and Digital Scaling.

    The Union minister said that these three reflect the priorities of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    These priorities align with the broader global agenda of fostering a digital economy that is secure, inclusive, and equitable for all, he said.

    “PM Modi believes in the democratisation of technology,” Mr Vaishnaw said.

    The Union minister also highlighted Bengaluru’s position as a hub for innovation, housing some of the world’s most pioneering companies in the tech sector.

    “We have assembled to deliberate on issues that will define the growth of the digital economy. Bengaluru is home to some of the most innovative companies in the world,” he said.

    The G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ Meeting offers a unique platform for nations to collaborate and share insights on these pressing issues.

    As the discussions at the meeting unfold, it is expected that innovative solutions and collaborative strategies will emerge, shaping the trajectory of the global digital economy and contributing to Prime Minister Modi’s vision of a technology-driven future that benefits all of humanity.

    PM Modi addressed the G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ Meet via video message today.

    He credited the launch of the Digital India initiative in 2015 for the unprecedented digital transformation that has taken place in India over the last 9 years.

    The PM underlined that India’s digital transformation is powered by its unshakeable belief in innovation and its commitment to speedy implementation, while also being motivated by the spirit of inclusion where no one is left behind.

    He said that 850 million internet users in the country enjoy some of the cheapest data costs in the world, highlighting the scale, speed, and scope of India’s digital transformation.

    He mentioned the JAM trinity- Jan Dhan bank accounts, Aadhaar, and Mobile that have revolutionised financial inclusion and the UPI payment system where nearly 10 billion transactions take place every month, and that 45 per cent of the global real-time payments takes place in India.

    The prime minister also threw light on the Direct Benefits Transfer plugging leakages in the system. “Fully digitised taxation systems are promoting transparency and e-governance”, PM Modi said.

    The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction that the working group is creating a G20 virtual Global Digital Public Infrastructure Repository and underlined that progress on a Common Framework for Digital Public Infrastructure will help create a transparent, accountable, and fair digital ecosystem for all.

    He also welcomed the efforts to develop a roadmap to facilitate Cross Country Comparison of Digital Skills and setting up a Virtual Centre of Excellence on Digital Skilling. He said that these are important efforts to meet the needs of a future-ready workforce.

    Noting that the digital economy will face security threats and challenges as it spreads globally, the Prime Minister pointed out that it is important to build consensus on the G20 High-Level Principles for a Secure, Trusted, and Resilient Digital Economy.

    The Prime Minister further highlighted the Government e-Marketplace, an online public procurement platform that has brought transparency and probity into the process, and the Open Network for Digital Commerce which is democratising e-Commerce.

    (This story has not been edited by SAC staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

  • India’s Circular Economy Push At G20 To Combat Climate Change

    India’s Circular Economy Push At G20 To Combat Climate Change

    India's Circular Economy Push At G20 To Combat Climate Change
    India’s Circular Economy Push At G20 To Combat Climate Change

    Chennai: In a shot in the arm for India’s G20 Presidency, 39 global corporate giants, including Coca Cola and Maruti Suzuki, have forged a coalition to boost circular economy at the G20 environment and climate ministers summit in Chennai.

    These global players from eleven sectors, founders say, would use only renewable energy for their industries and accelerate reuse, recycle and upcycle for efficient use of resources and cut on emissions.

    For instance, the cement industry would use fly ash generated by power plants and slag dumped by steel companies.

    “Fly ash from power plants is a big pollutant. When we use it we reduce extraction of limestone, we save on fuel, we save on energy. It’s not just in cement industry. This is done in all industries,” Mahendra Singhi, MD & CEO, Dalmia Cement told NDTV.

    The textile industry hopes to reduce used or discarded clothing or fabric going to landfills.

    Dr Naresh Tyagi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Ltd said this would bring about resource mobilisation efficiently at both pre and post-consumer stages.

    Asked how clothes or textile would be made part of the circular economy, he said: “If the used clothes are good and wearable, we give to someone who can reuse or use them more. Second, we can recycle a bulk of used materials to make rugs, blankets etc. Third, we also upcycle them to use them in making new outfits.”

    The target is to rope in at least a hundred more corporates in two years and bring about larger collaboration, best practices and innovation into this independent movement.

    “Reuse, recycle and reproduce is the thing. We will work for the future prosperity of the country and it’s the need of the world,” said environment minister Bhupender Yadav, adding circular economy model enables the transition from the linear “take-make-waste” paradigm and embrace a more sustainable and regenerative approach.

    However, with consensus eluding at the summit, India showcased the industry coalition to boost circular economy as a significant win during its G20 presidency. The progress of this initiative will be closely watched.

  • India PM Modi says encouraging response to global grid proposal

    India PM Modi says encouraging response to global grid proposal

    FILE PHOTO: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a meeting at The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris France July 14, 2023. JULIEN DE ROSA/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
    FILE PHOTO: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a meeting at The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris France July 14, 2023. JULIEN DE ROSA/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

    BAMBOLIM, India July 22 (Reuters) – India has had an “encouraging” response from other countries to its proposal to build a transnational grid to enhance energy security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday.

    “We are promoting this mutually beneficial cooperation with our neighbors in this region. And I can tell you, we are seeing encouraging results,” Modi told G20 group energy ministers.

    He pointed out that the pathways to energy transition are different given our different realities, however, the goals are still the same.

    Top quotes from PM Modi’s address at G20 energy ministers’ meet:

    No talk about the future, sustainability or growth and development can be complete without energy. It impacts development at all levels from individuals to nations.

    We (India) are moving strongly on our climate commitments. India has shown leadership in climate action. We achieved our non-fossil installed capacity target nine years in advance. We have now set a higher target and we plan to achieve 50% non-fossil installed capacity by 2030.

    India is also among the global leaders in solar and wind power.

    In India, we have connected more than 190 million families with LPG in the last nine years. We have also achieved the historic milestone of connecting every village to electricity.

    Our effort is to work for inclusive, resilient, equitable and sustainable energy for all. In 2015, we began a small movement by launching a scheme for the use of LED lights. This became the largest LED distribution programme in the world, saving us more than 45 billion units of energy per year.

    India’s domestic electric vehicle market is projected to reach 10 million annual sales by 2030. We have commenced the rolling out of 20% ethanol-blended petrol this year and our aim is to cover the entire country by 2025.

    For de-carbonising India, we are working on a mission-mode on green hydrogen as an alternative. The aim is to make India a global hub for the production, use and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives. We are happy to share our learnings.

    We must ensure low-cost finance for developing countries. We must find ways to breach technology gaps, promote energy security and work on diversified supply chains.

    We must strengthen collaboration on the fuels for future. The high-level principles on hydrogen are a step in the right direction.

    Realising the vision of interconnected green grids can be transforming.

    It will enable to meet our climate goals, stimulate green investment and create millions of green jobs. I invite you all to join the ‘green grids initiative’ – one sun, one world, one grid of International Solar Alliance.