KOTA: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said that the country is entering a new era where its prowess and power will be defined by code, cloud, and cyber, and where sovereignty can be safeguarded through domestically developed digital infrastructure.
Delivering the convocation address at the 4th Convocation of the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Kota (IIIT), on Saturday, Dhankhar said, “We are entering a new era, an era of new nationalism — where patriotism is also being redefined.
He said, “In this era, technological leadership is the new frontier of patriotism. Nations must strive to be world leaders in technology.
Likewise, the battleground of the 21st century would also no longer be land or sea. “Gone are the days of conventional warfare, the prowess and power have to be determined by code, cloud, and cyber,” Dhankhar said.
Sovereignty will not be lost through invasions, the real threat now lies in dependence on foreign digital infrastructure. Nations will no longer be compromised or colonised by armies as algorithms have now replaced armies, he added.
“If we get technology-driven equipment from abroad, especially in sectors like defence, that country holds the power to bring us to a standstill,” the Vice President cautioned.
The National Education Policy (NEP) will salvage us from the ossified education system put in place by erstwhile colonisers. We must rise as architects of our own digital destiny and also influence the destiny of other nations, Dhankhar quipped.
“Our coders, data scientists, blockchain innovators, and AI engineers are the modern-day nation builders. India, once a global leader, cannot afford to remain a passive user of borrowed technologies,” he exhorted.
Underlining the immediate need for rural-centric development, Dhankhar said, “A smart app that doesn’t work in rural India is not smart enough.”
“An AI model that doesn’t understand regional languages is incomplete. A digital tool that excludes the disabled is unjust,” the Vice President said, stressing the need for an inclusive approach to tap the maximum possible potential of a young and evolving India.
Agencies