Speaking at a virtual event to mark the completion of six years of Digital India, Modi said India is also conscious of its responsibilities as a data powerhouse and noted that work is underway on all aspects of data protection.

“Data and demographic dividend present a massive opportunity for India... together, we will be successful in making this decade ‘India's techade’,” Modi said.

Modi also spoke - via video conference - to beneficiaries of various schemes of Digital India programme, including Diksha, eNAM, eSanjeevani solution for telemedicine, DigiBunai and PM SVANidhi scheme.

The Prime Minister spoke of the critical role that technology had played during the pandemic to ensure continuity of education, access to healthcare, and other citizen services. Digital solutions created by India during COVID-19 pandemic are being acknowledged globally, he said adding that contact tracing app, Aarogya Setu, has played a key role in containing the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

Six years of Digital India programme marks rapid strides that the country has taken in adoption of technology, he said.