Day two of Mumbai Tech Week (MTW) showcased political leaders driving the technology conversation forward, setting the tone for a future of innovation and growth.
In a thought-provoking session alongside Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group; Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State, Meity, Government of India, highlighted the pivotal role of technological advancements and the entrepreneurial ethos in steering India towards greater development and wealth. The Minister shared his insights on the government's approach to regulation within the tech sector, emphasising a model of openness, transparency and collaboration.
Chandrasekhar stated, “Our approach to creating a framework of regulation has been open, transparent and consultative. It is not so much about government regulation as it is about all of the stakeholders coming together and creating the guardrails that are important for the orderly growth of any segment of our economy. We are also partnering with the best partners for technology for the future of semiconductors. So, along with the design innovation ecosystem on semiconductors, which is going to design the next generation chips and devices, we are also launching India Semiconductor Research Centre which is going to be a state-of-the-art research centre where the world's biggest semiconductor makers will research in India.”
He further added, “We intend to exploit AI to its fullest for achieving the goals of our economic growth, ensuring that AI makes a big impact on healthcare and drug discovery, as well as on agriculture and farmer productivity. Use cases are not about having bragging rights to compete with ChatGPT. That is not the direction we are going in. We will also go ahead and support education and there will be a focus on multiple languages of India and multiple datasets.”
The Mumbai Megapolis Metaverse was officially unveiled on day two of MTW. This project was unveiled by Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, as part of his Maharashtra@75 vision. This initiative is an endeavour that utilises technology to create an immersive virtual representation of Mumbai in the metaverse, that offers citizens an opportunity to experience the ongoing infrastructure developments.
Kaustubh Dhavse, Officer on Special Duty to the Deputy Chief Minister, Government of Maharashtra and Vishal Gondal, Founder & CEO, GOQii, stood alongside Fadnavis joined by Neeraj Roy, Managing Director and CEO, Hungama; Harsh Jain, CEO and Co-founder, Dream11 and Dream Sports; Aakrit Vaish, Co-founder and CEO, Haptik; Ashish Hemrajani, Founder and CEO, BookMyShow.com and Brijesh Singh, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Fadnavis said, “Mumbai Megapolis Metaverse will allow citizens to experience the transformation of Mumbai like never before through virtual reality. It’s a testament to our commitment to transparency, allowing every Mumbaikar to witness firsthand the metamorphosis of our city, from current infrastructural developments to urban planning initiatives in collaboration with the BMC. Our vision extends beyond the present, aiming to elevate Mumbai and MMR’s contribution and enhance its stature as the city of the future. A case in point is the Atal Setu Bridge, a 22 km engineering marvel and India’s longest sea bridge which has reduced the travel time between South Mumbai to Navi Mumbai from two hours to 20 minutes. This bridge is a game changer in enhancing the connectivity of the city significantly reducing travel time and saving fuel consumption. The Navi Mumbai International Airport which will be ready by the end of 2024 and the Atal Setu Bridge will collectively revolutionise the way we live, commute and perceive our city, setting a benchmark for urban development and showcasing the potential of Mumbai and the MMR region as leaders in innovation and progress on the global stage.”