Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, October 13, called for using technology, data, knowledge and innovation to create wider opportunities, highlighting digital connectivity and affordable mobile data available in India as examples of how power can benefit millions.
Key Takeaways
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PM Modi said technology, data, knowledge and innovation should empower people rather than benefit only a select few.
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He highlighted India’s linguistic diversity, extensive media landscape and large YouTube and Instagram user bases as features of its democracy.
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He said affordable mobile data and wider connectivity have enabled even small village shopkeepers to reach customers and access new opportunities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has advocated a shift from using power to control towards using it to enable people, promote collaboration and expand opportunities. Addressing the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, he said technology, data, knowledge and innovation hold real value when they serve a broader purpose. He also highlighted India’s democratic diversity, open public debate and expansion of affordable mobile internet as examples of how digital access can empower people.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for a broader approach to power, urging people and institutions to use technology, data, knowledge and innovation to create opportunities for others. Addressing the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, he said the true value of power lies in its purpose and its ability to benefit society.
Modi said the world is witnessing significant changes in the third decade of the 21st century. Technology and access to information are reshaping how people interact, learn and pursue opportunities. However, he stressed that the central question is not who holds power but how they use it.
PM Modi Explains the Idea of ‘Power to Empower’
Speaking at the forum, Modi linked this year’s theme of emerging powers to the wider transformation driven by technology, data, knowledge and innovation.
He asked whether technological progress would serve only a small section of society or open up opportunities for millions of people. According to the Prime Minister, the answer depends on how individuals, institutions and societies use the power available to them.
He described this approach as “power to empower”, emphasizing enabling others rather than concentrating advantages in the hands of a few.
“Beyond power to control lies power to enable, beyond power to compete lies power to collaborate, and beyond power to succeed lies power to help others succeed,” Modi said.
His remarks highlighted the importance of using power constructively. He said people must understand its value in the current era, when technology and knowledge increasingly shape access to information and opportunity.
India’s Democracy Reflects Diversity and Open Debate
Modi also highlighted India’s democratic character and the diversity of its public sphere. Describing the country as the “mother of democracy”, he pointed to its many languages, media organisations and digital platforms.
India has more than 100 languages and around 80,000 registered newspapers and publications, he said. The country also has more than 1,000 satellite television channels and over 500 million users each on YouTube and Instagram.
These figures, according to Modi’s remarks, reflect the scale and diversity of India’s information environment.
The Prime Minister said people in India openly debate different issues and discuss competing viewpoints. He also emphasised the growing role of digital technology in public life.
Digital platforms have become an important part of how people access information and express their views. Modi’s remarks placed this development within the broader discussion on how technology can support participation and expand opportunities.
Affordable Mobile Data Expanded Digital Access
Modi recalled that access to mobile internet represented a significant source of power 12 to 13 years ago. People who had internet access could obtain information, build knowledge and explore opportunities that remained beyond the reach of those without connectivity.
He said the government that assumed office in 2014 focused on making mobile data affordable.
The emphasis on affordability helped widen access to digital services, according to the Prime Minister. As mobile internet became more accessible, people across different sections of society gained greater opportunities to connect and communicate.
Modi presented this expansion of digital access as an example of the “power to empower” principle. In his view, connectivity has value beyond the ability to communicate because it can also help people reach markets and pursue economic opportunities.
Village Shopkeepers Gain Access to Customers
The Prime Minister illustrated the impact of digital connectivity by referring to small shopkeepers in villages.
He said even a shopkeeper in a remote village can now reach customers through improved connectivity. This ability demonstrates how access to technology can help individuals participate in wider economic networks.
Modi stressed that connectivity in India has done more than link people with one another. It has also opened up opportunities that can help individuals expand their reach.
The example connected the wider theme of the forum with everyday economic activity. While technology, data and innovation represent sources of power, their broader significance lies in how people can use them to improve their prospects.
Technology Value Lies in Its Purpose
Modi’s address returned to the central distinction between possessing power and using it for the benefit of others.
His emphasis on enabling people, encouraging collaboration and helping others succeed presented empowerment as a key measure of progress in a technology-driven era.
The message also linked India’s experience with affordable mobile data to the wider question facing societies as technological capabilities expand: whether progress will remain concentrated among a few or create opportunities for millions.
For Modi, the principle of “power to empower” offers a way to assess that progress. Technology and innovation, he argued, matter most when they help people gain access, participate more widely and pursue new opportunities. (Edited by Enewstime Desk)