Budget Highlights applauded by IBM Sandip Patel, Managing Director, IBM India/South Asia

We congratulate the Honourable Finance Minister on the first budget of ‘AmritKaal’, which is forward-looking and focused on enhancing India’s digital infrastructure that will help us deliver the vision of Digital India.

It is a progressive budget that underscores technology-driven growth. The investment in core infrastructure will require significant thrust on digital infrastructure including digitization and automation. The budget has outlined measures to provide impetus for technology-driven accelerated change and technology will also work as a key deflationary measure. The comprehensive set of steps outlined in the budget will help propel India towards its goal of becoming a $5 trillion economy and lead in the Techade.

The budget has also done well to provide for innovation in the areas of AI, Materials, 5G through CoEs and for developing and enhancing the digital talent pool in the country. This will help fully realize our demographic dividend, specifically towards preparing youth for international opportunities and taking the skilling to last mile through setting up of 30 Skill India International Centres across states. At IBM, we appreciate the Government’s endeavours in strengthening the emerging technology ecosystem and we are confident that the Government’s proposal to set up 100 labs across engineering institutions to develop applications for 5G services will go a long way in developing cutting edge ICT services in India, for India and for the world. IBM remains keen to forge partnerships to drive this change.

India is all set for leading the change and usher in green growth which is aptly visible in the green credits to green energy to green mobility to green farming, which has found its place in the budget this year.