Technology giant Google on Monday announced a India Digitization Fund, via which the company will invest $10 billion (about ₹75,000 crore) over the next five-seven years.
Also read: PM Modi, Google CEO Sundar Pichai discuss data security, use of AI in agriculture
“We’ll do this through a mix of equity investments, partnerships and operational, infrastructure and ecosystem investments. This is a reflection of our confidence in the future of India and its digital economy,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said during a virtual event.
Investment will focus on four areas
Mr. Pichai said the investment will focus on four areas important to India’s digitisation including enabling affordable access and information for every Indian in their own language, building new products and services that are deeply relevant to its unique needs, empowering businesses for their digital transformation journey and leveraging technology and AI for social good in areas like health, education, and agriculture.
“Growing up, technology provided a window to a world outside my own…When I was young, every new piece of technology brought new opportunities to learn and grow. But I always had to wait for it to arrive from someplace else. Today, people in India no longer have to wait for technology to come to you. A whole new generation of technologies are happening in India first,” Mr. Pichai said.
Talking about small businesses, the Indian-born Google CEO said four years ago, only one-third of all small businesses in India had an online presence. Today, 26 million SMBs are now discoverable on Search and Maps, driving connections with more than 150 million users every month.
Dual challenges
“The global pandemic has supercharged the adoption of digital tools. Digital payments, for example, have enabled families across India to access goods and services during lockdowns,” he said.
“There’s no question we are facing a difficult moment today, in India and around the world. The dual challenges to our health and to our economies have forced us to rethink how we work and how we live. But times of challenge can lead to incredible moments of innovation. Our goal is to ensure India not only benefits from the next wave of innovation, but leads it. Working together we can ensure that our best days are still ahead.”
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted about his discussion with Mr. Pichai.
“This morning, had an extremely fruitful interaction with Sundar Pichai. We spoke on a wide range of subjects, particularly leveraging the power of technology to transform the lives of India’s farmers, youngsters and entrepreneurs,” the Prime Minister wrote on Twitter.
This is a significant move in the middle of the pandemic, which speaks of India’s openness and attractiveness as an investment destination, said sources in the government.
