Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that Uttar Pradesh is moving rapidly towards becoming a leader in areas such as deep tech, AI and quantum computing. Referring to the successes of Digital India, Ayushman Bharat and DBT, CM Yogi said, “Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is progressing towards holistic and technology driven development. | X @myogiadityanath
Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that Uttar Pradesh is moving rapidly towards becoming a leader in areas such as deep tech, AI and quantum computing. Referring to the successes of Digital India, Ayushman Bharat and DBT, CM Yogi said, “Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is progressing towards holistic and technology driven development. Through the effective use of technology, government schemes are being delivered to the last person in society”.
The Chief Minister was addressing the gathering on Sunday after inaugurating the IBM AI GovTech Innovation Center in Lucknow.
CM Yogi Adityanath expressed heartfelt gratitude to IBM India CEO Dr. Arvind Krishna and his entire team for the MoU signed between the IT and Electronics Department and IBM. He said that Dr. Arvind Krishna personally came here to advance this initiative of the Uttar Pradesh government and contributed positively to this campaign.
In his address, Dr. Arvind Krishna also shared his emotional connection with Uttar Pradesh and the land of India through this platform. We are all proud that the country’s first computer was installed by IBM at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. Whether it is the infrastructure sector or today’s deep tech sector, the heights India has achieved in the past 11 years are remarkable. Recently, the India AI Impact Summit was organized in Delhi, where global leaders appreciated Prime Minister Modi’s vision.
Under his leadership, Digital India has written a success story. 140 crore Indians have received their digital identity, through which 50 crore people are availing the benefits of Ayushman Bharat. People are receiving transparent banking facilities and benefits of government schemes through DBT. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi, the foundation stone of the state’s first semiconductor unit was also laid in Gautam Buddha Nagar.
The CM also added, last year he had the opportunity to participate in a conference on deep tech at IIT Kanpur. He also interacted with the Director of IIT Kanpur. We are working together on MedTech. In the recent budget of Uttar Pradesh, provisions have been made for a Center of Excellence in Robotics. Earlier, the government had also made budgetary provisions for establishing a Center of Excellence in Drone Technology.
The Chief Minister said, by making better use of technology in every sector, benefits are being delivered to every section of society in Uttar Pradesh.
CM Yogi also added, “By making better use of technology and AI tools, transformation can be brought in the life of a common citizen. Before 2017, for nearly 40 years, the people of Uttar Pradesh suffered from encephalitis. It is estimated that more than 50,000 children died due to this disease. At that time, no effort was made by the government to collect data, and no analysis was conducted. It was assumed to be a common disease. But under our government, all data was collected and analyzed. The results are before everyone. The disease was more prevalent where there was no access to clean drinking water and open defecation existed”.
CM also said, “Under the double engine government, and under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Jal Jeevan Mission, including the Har Ghar Nal Yojana, were implemented effectively. Encephalitis has now been completely eliminated in Uttar Pradesh. There are no deaths due to encephalitis anymore. We have seen here in the health sector how AI can transform the life of the person at the lowest rung of society”.
CM Yogi gave another example related to school dropout rates in the education sector. He said that earlier it was often assumed that girls could not attend school because it was located far away. Even after schools were established in villages, people were not ready to send their daughters. Considerable effort was required to motivate them. When analysis was conducted using AI tools, it emerged that the reason for the dropout rate was the absence of toilets for girls. We have traveled from village to village.
He told, earlier, schools did not have adequate buildings, sufficient teachers, adequate furniture or basic facilities. It was merely a formality to open a school. When Prime Minister Modi ensured effective implementation of this campaign, we arranged separate toilets for boys and girls and ensured drinking water facilities in every school. We succeeded in bringing the dropout rate in Basic Education Council schools down to zero. This demonstrates that we can use technology effectively and bring transformation in the lives of those at the lowest level of society.
CM Yogi said, “Our government has worked to develop Lucknow as an AI City. With IBM’s cooperation, we will be able to implement this more rapidly. We need to work on quantum computing. In this regard, Uttar Pradesh’s claim is strong because the country’s first computer was installed at IIT Kanpur with the contribution of IBM, and today we are moving forward in that direction. I believe that IIT Kanpur is ready to cooperate for quantum computing at its Noida campus”.
He also informed, the Uttar Pradesh government is ready to take the initiative and extend cooperation. IBM is ready. Together, the three will advance this initiative and take it forward.
During the program, IBM signed two MoUs with the Uttar Pradesh government to link the state’s long term development goals with AI based governance. In collaboration with the IT and Electronics Department, this center will develop AI based applications across various departments and strengthen digital and AI capabilities in different departments. In partnership with the Directorate of School Education, an AI literacy program will be launched for students and teachers from classes 6 to 12. This will provide them with basic knowledge of AI and the practical experience and skills necessary to face future challenges.
On this occasion, IBM Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Arvind Krishna, Managing Director of IBM India and South Asia Sandeep Patel, Director of IIT Kanpur Professor Manindra Agrawal, and other senior officials of the Uttar Pradesh government and IBM were present. IBM Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Arvind Krishna said that AI will give a new direction to the efficiency and economic competitiveness of governments. Governments in India and across the world are now rapidly moving beyond the experimental stage of AI towards its implementation. This openness in adopting responsible AI is inspiring and encouraging.
