Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for technology, knowledge and innovation to create opportunities for millions, telling the New Economy Forum that the value of power depends on how it is used.
Addressing the forum, being held in India for the first time, Modi said technology, data, knowledge and innovation were sources of power, but the central question was whether they would benefit a select few or expand opportunities and capabilities for everyone.
Modi said, "Today, technology is power, data is power, knowledge is power, and innovation is power. But, the real question is not who has the power, but how it is being used. Will technology advance only a few people or create new opportunities for millions? Will knowledge remain the strength of a select few or enhance everyone's capabilities? This is where a new idea is born: power to empower. Moving beyond power to control, we need power to enable. Moving beyond power to compete, we need power to collaborate. And moving beyond power to succeed, we need power to help others succeed."
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He urged a shift from using power to control towards using it to enable, and from competition towards collaboration. Power should also help others succeed, he said. Modi cited affordable mobile data as an example of India's approach, saying it had enabled students from small cities to access digital learning.
Calling India the “mother of democracy”, he said the government's authority should serve to strengthen citizens rather than make them dependent on the system. Following this approach, India had lifted 250 million people out of poverty over the past decade, Modi said. He added that the figure exceeded the population of many countries.
The prime minister also highlighted India's climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. He said the country had set a target in 2015 to ensure that non-fossil sources accounted for 40% of installed electricity capacity by 2030. PM Narendra Modi says, "Under the Paris Agreement, India made a major commitment to combat climate change. In 2015, we set a target to achieve 40% of our installed electricity capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030. India achieved this milestone in November 2021—nine years ahead of schedule—becoming the first G20 country to do so."
Modi linked his remarks on governance and technology to the responsibility of those holding knowledge, wealth and power. Their use of these resources was crucial, he said, arguing that power derived its true value from its purpose. He said India's traditions had taught this principle over thousands of years and that the country had applied it in governance and its work culture.
On India's relationship with the wider world, Modi said the country's growth was intended to benefit others alongside its own citizens. "We do not grow at anyone's cost, we grow with and for the world," he said.
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