Ahmedabad, May 17 (IANS) Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah has said India was positioning itself as a “founder nation” in emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, robotics, quantum computing and semiconductors.

He said this while addressing the launch of Million Minds Tech City, Gujarat’s first SEZ IT park, in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Speaking at the inauguration of the first phase of the project in Tragad, HM Shah said the country had moved from lagging behind in several sectors to establishing a strong presence in technologies expected to shape the global economy over the next 25 years.

“AI and deep tech are the future economy. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has become a founder nation in all emerging sectors in the world today. There was a time when we had fallen far behind in many sectors, but today India is establishing a strong presence in all the sectors that will shape the world economy,” he said.

He said sectors including robotics, quantum computing, semiconductors, autonomous systems, cybersecurity, defence technology and space technology would require a large pool of highly skilled youth and advanced infrastructure.

“The intelligence is already there; we also need to provide them space, atmosphere and support,” he said, adding that technology parks such as ‘Million Minds Tech City’ would help build that ecosystem.

HM Shah said the first phase of the project was being developed at a cost of around Rs 1,100 crore on 13.5 lakh square feet and would provide workspace for 9,000 high-skilled professionals.

The full seven-phase project is expected to attract investment of around Rs 15,000 crore and create more than 63,000 high-value jobs over the next five years.

“Gujarat’s economic activity was undergoing a transformation with increasing emphasis on technology parks and global capability centres over the last few years,” he noted.

He further emphasised that “India needed skilled leadership and modern thinking in urban planning and infrastructure development to keep pace with global changes”.

The event was attended by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, and representatives of Ganesh Housing Limited.

–IANS

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