Prime Minister Modi Inaugurates ITU Area Office And 'Call Before You Dig'
Update: 2023-03-22 14:31 IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
PM Modi inaugrated the new International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Area Office and Innovation Centre. He declared that digital technology is now widespread in India and accessible to everyone. According to Prime Minister Modi, The number of internet users in India has climbed from 25 billion in 2014 to 85 billion. He also noted that rural India has a higher percentage of users than urban areas.
In announcing the 6G R&D Test Bed, PM Modi said that over 25 lakh kilometres of optical fibre have been laid in the past nine years by the government and the business sector together. The strength of the trinity, according to PM Modi, is a case study for the rest of the globe, praising JAM (JanDhan, Aadhaar & Mobile).
India and the ITU signed a host country agreement in March 2022 for the development of an area office, which is housed on the second floor of the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) building in Mehrauli, New Delhi, and is entirely sponsored by India.
Along with the inaugration of ITU, he also launched the application of "Call Before U Dig" (CBuD). The "Call before u dig" (CBuD) app was developed as a tool to stop damage to underlying assets, such optical fibre cables, which is caused by careless digging and excavation and costs the nation roughly Rs 3000 crore annually.
By making it simpler to conduct business, CBuD, which exemplifies the employment of a "whole-of-government approach" in the nation's governance, would benefit all stakeholders.
According to a statement, the new office will serve India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Afghanistan, and Iran. It also aims to improve regional coordination and ensure mutually beneficial economic cooperation.