Key Points

Scindia stated that the government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, has created an unprecedented network that connects the country's remotest regions through technology. "In the last 11 years, the government under Modi's leadership has constructed the largest Digital Highway in the world," he said.

He explained that India has moved beyond being a domestic player. "Our entrepreneurs, our innovators, our industry, have now been able to launch products and services. We now know people have the ability to come on board, manufacture their handicrafts, semiconductors, and connect themselves to the world market. That capability was not there in India a year ago; that capability is now there," he added.

Scindia recalled how India's digital transformation began two decades ago with the arrival of mobile phones and has now reached the stage of semiconductor manufacturing. "A revolution that started two decades ago with the advent of mobile in India today has been backwards integrated, all the way back into semiconductor chips," he said. The minister noted that this progress reflected the foresight of Prime Minister Modi, who envisioned a "Digital India" driven by innovation and self-reliance.

At the same event, on Wednesday, the Minister inaugurated the Satcom Summit on "Space Networks for Universal Connectivity", held as part of IMC 2025. He said the summit marked "the threshold of a revolution a revolution born in the sky, carried by satellites, but destined to transform lives on the ground."

The Minister underlined that satellite communication (SATCOM) will now extend the promise of digital inclusion to the remotest corners of the nation. "SATCOM is no longer a luxury; it is a right a form of justice in the digital era," he said, adding that it will empower farmers, fishermen, doctors, and students across geographies previously beyond the reach of terrestrial networks.

Minister Scindia informed that through the Digital Bharat Nidhi and Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), the Government has undertaken the mission to connect 38,260 remote villages located in challenging terrains with a total investment of Rs. 40,000 crore, of which nearly 29,000 villages, about 75 per cent, have already been connected.

"India must not just be a beneficiary of satellite services, it must become a hub, an exporter, and a trusted global partner," he asserted.

- ANI