India using technology at massive scale for financial inclusion, education, telemedicine, agriculture: PM Modi at VivaTech 2026
Paris, June 18
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that India is using technology at a massive scale for financial inclusion, education, telemedicine, agriculture and more and its startups are forging many new partnerships.
Speaking at the VivaTech 2026, PM Modi said India is expanding the frontiers of human capability from space technologies to nuclear energy.
"I'm delighted to be in Paris for the 10th edition of VivaTech. This is Europe's biggest technology event. I congratulate President Macron and the organizers for the success of VivaTech. 2026 is a special year for India and Europe. At the beginning of the year, we concluded the historic India-EU free trade agreement. This agreement will expand our trade and investment. And it will open up many pathways for the exchange of talent, technology, and tourism," he said.
"With the launch of the India-France year of innovation, this year, France is serving as an important bridge that is bringing the tech ecosystem of India and Europe closer," he added.
PM Modi said India believes that in this era of disruption, technology must deliver for all.
"We are using technology at a massive scale for financial inclusion, education, telemedicine, agriculture and more. From Bharat Innovates, held a few days ago in Nice, to Viva Tech in Paris today, our start-ups are forging many new partnerships. From space technologies to nuclear energy, we are expanding the frontiers of human capability," he said.
The Prime Minister said that in the last decade, India has been going through a rapid transformation that is powered by technology.
He said UPI can be used in France too at the Eiffel Tower or the Paris airport.
"From creating the world's largest digital identity system to the world's largest digital payment platforms. at a massive scale for financial inclusion, education, telemedicine, agriculture and more. Because of our unified payments interface or UPI, half of the world's real-time digital transactions happen in India today," he said.
"You can now use UPI in France too at the Eiffel Tower or the Paris airport. We have several examples of such world-class digital public goods. Digilocker is one of the world's largest digital document wallet," he added.
VivaTech is Europe's foremost gathering of technology and innovation.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Impressive to see India's digital transformation from a Western perspective. I've used UPI in Paris and it's seamless! But I'm genuinely curious – how do they ensure cybersecurity with such massive digital adoption? Privacy concerns in India vs. Europe seem very different.
Good speech, but let's not ignore ground realities. Telemedicine in rural areas still suffers from internet connectivity issues. Agriculture tech is great on paper, but small farmers need more training. However, the direction is right – digital public goods like Aadhaar and UPI have genuinely transformed lives. Need more focus on last-mile delivery in smaller towns.
As someone working in a startup, this is incredible encouragement! The India-France year of innovation will open so many doors. Finally our tech talent gets global recognition. 🇫🇷🤝🇮🇳
Modi ji's vision of "technology for all" is exactly what developing countries need. Look at how UPI helped small vendors during lockdown – no cash, no problem! But I wish he'd also address rising cost of data and device affordability for the poorest. Still, kudos to the team making this happen! 🙌
Living in London, I've seen how India's digital platforms like UPI and CoWIN inspired even our NHS. The scale is mind-boggling – half of world's real-time digital transactions! But infrastructure gaps remain. Hopefully FTA will bring tech transfer too. Interesting times ahead.
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