Technology in sunrise sectors key to 9-10 pc growth: Kant

Ahmedabad, Mar 7 () NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kantsaid on Saturday that technology in sunrise sectors will haveto be the key for the country to achieve 9-10 per cent growth.

Kant was delivering the 41st Vikram Sarabhai MemorialLecture here.

"My belief is, unless and until we don't usetechnology to leapfrog into the next generation, it will bewe grow as usual, at 4-5 per cent.

"But if you want a quantum jump of 9-10 per cent,technology in sunrise areas of growth has to be the key," hesaid.

"And therefore, we must use machine learning, we mustuse artificial intelligence to make this massive growthprocess," Kant said.

Electric mobility will be the newer area of growth,especially with the cost of battery falling radically, hesaid.

Data storage has also created huge possibilities forinnovators, he said.

"What India has done is create a vast amount of datain public domain, on the back of which it has allowed privatesector to innovate. What we need to do is use this publichighways for a lot of private sector innovation," he said.

"No other country in the world has the size and scaleof India as far as data is concerned. Nowhere in the world wehave public data of this size and scale to find solutions tothe challenges of India," he said.

Underscoring the importance of design, Kant said itaccounts for 70 per cent of a product's value.

"In today's world, more than manufacturing, it isdesign which is important. Therefore, design in India mustbecome our key principle... And that is where the real valuelies," he said.

Indian companies, innovators, researchers andacademicians should come forward and register their patents,Kant said.

"India's patent registration has been absolutelydismal.

And therefore, the key really is about buildingintellectual knowledge, doing research, about registering.Therefore, it is big onus on all of us," he said.

India has seen a large number of start-ups emerging inrecent times, he said.

"And start-ups are not merely disrupting systems, butmany are finding solutions to problems in India, he said.

He also called for gender parity in the country's workforce and reforms in the agricultural sector. KAPDKRK KRK