Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with IBM CEO Arvind Krishna via video conferencing on 20th July.

Prime Minister congratulated Arvind Krishna for becoming the global head of IBM earlier this year. He mentioned the strong connect of IBM with India and its huge presence in the country, with over one lakh people working across 20 cities in the company.

Talking about the impact of COVID on business culture, Prime Minister said that ‘work from home’ is being adopted in a big way and the government is constantly working towards providing infrastructure, connectivity and regulatory environment to ensure that this technological shift is smooth. He also discussed the technologies associated and challenges involved in the recent decision of IBM to make 75% of its employees to work from home.

Prime Minister appreciated the role played by IBM, in association with CBSE, towards the launch of AI curriculum in 200 schools in India. He said that the government is working towards introducing students to concepts such as AI, machine learning etc at an early stage, to further the tech temperament in the country. IBM CEO said that teaching about technology and data should be in the category of basic skills like algebra, needs to be taught with passion and should be introduced early.

Prime Minister highlighted that this is a great time to invest in India. He said that the country is welcoming and supporting investments taking place in the tech sector. He noted that while the world is witnessing a slowdown, FDI inflow in India is increasing. He said that the country is moving forward with the vision of a self-sufficient India so that a globally competent and disruption resilient local supply chain can be developed.

IBM CEO briefed PM about IBM’s huge investment plans in India. He expressed confidence in the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Prime Minister talked about the efforts of the government in the last six years to promote wellness and ensure that the best quality healthcare is within the reach of the people. He explored the possibilities of creating India specific AI-based tools in the healthcare sector and the development of better models for disease prediction and analysis. He underlined that the country is moving towards the development of an integrated, tech and data-driven healthcare system which is affordable and hassle-free for the people. He noted that IBM can play an important role in taking forward the healthcare vision. IBM CEO appreciated Prime Minister’s vision for Ayushman Bharat and talked about using technology for early identification of diseases.

Other areas of discussion included the issues of data security, cyber attacks, concerns around privacy, and health benefits of Yoga.