Big data complements India’s Smart Cities Mission

In an exclusive, PP Chaudhary, Minister of State, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, says that the Centre is planning three IT and electronics regions, which will create direct employment opportunities for 12 lakh youths.

How is digitisation complementing India’s Smart Cities Mission?
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government of India is undertaking a wide range of measures to implement the blueprint of progress through which the fruits of development shall reach each and every citizen, including those at the bottom of the pyramid. Digital India, which is the flagship programme of my ministry, will be considered as a fulcrum for development of Smart Cities. Through its tripartite objective of creating digital infrastructure, timely delivery of digital services on demand, and digital empowerment of citizens, (the) Digital India programme builds the digital backbone of Smart Cities which are envisaged across the country.

Initiatives and schemes such as the biometric-based digital identity -Aadhaar number, digital storage system (DigiLocker, computerisation of land records, platform for participatory governance) and MyGov, etc., are playing an instrumental role in forming the basis for provision of a wide range of services to be imparted to the citizens in the Smart City Mission.

How is the Internet of Things (IoT) making its inroads into this initiative? It looks like bid data, which didn’t have any presence, has seen a sudden spurge…
Absolutely! Big data plays a crucial role in decision-making for Smart Cities. Due to concepts and technologies such as IoT, in this time and age, each and every electronic device is acquiring a distinct identity and interacting with the outside world through the Internet. This technology is leading to generation of gigantic amounts of data through millions of interactions between electronic devices.

Control of such devices as well as big data that they are generating along with a cohesive analysis of such data through robust tolls of analytics will play an instrumental role in developing Smart Cities. Such big data will be extremely helpful in a wide range of applications in Smart Cities such as smart traffic management, smart water storage, air-cooling and heating systems, smart waste management, etc.

However, the generation of such enormous amounts of data also comes with its own set of challenges. Hence, there is a need to create a comprehensive framework for collection, maintenance, and usage of big data for various applications in Smart Cities.

How are the IT and electronic sectors performing?
India is now pioneering IT-enabled services, and the testimony to this is that we are exporting almost Rs 7 lakh crore of services per year. But at the same time, we are importing electronic goods worth Rs 3 lakh crore. Our vision is to move towards zero imports of electronic goods by 2020, and we are offering incentives for this objective. At present, many mobile manufacturing companies have lined up for setting up their respective manufacturing bases here in India, which will enable to chase our dream project, ‘Make in India’.

For this purpose (‘Make in India’), we are opening information and technology investment regions, where private electronic companies can set up their manufacturing units coupled with IT parks. This region will strengthen India’s position globally. We have already identified two regions – Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh – whereas a third region is in the pipeline, which is in Rajasthan (between Pali and Jodhpur).

Land of around 10,000 acres has been already identified, and a committee has been formed to examine further process. The detailed project report is under process, and we will soon get a government notification on the same. This region is likely to generate direct employment opportunity of around 12 lakh and indirect opportunity of around 28 lakh.

Around 100 km of area from the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor is falling under this region; it will provide bigger opportunities to various companies.

– RAHUL KAMAT