Maharashtra will achieve the objective of becoming the first trillion dollar economy state: PM Modi

The government is transforming the aviation sector and focusing on providing connectivity and making air travel affordable, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.

"Our aviation sector is growing tremendously. This makes quality infrastructure in the aviation sector important. Our government brought an aviation policy that is transforming the sector," he said.

"Aviation will also boost the tourism sector in the country," Modi said at an event in Navi Mumbai after performing the groundbreaking ceremony of Navi Mumbai International Airport and dedicating the 4th container terminal at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust to the nation.

"Around 450 aircraft are now operational in India, including those owned privately. This is the figure since Independence. However, just within last one year, there have been orders for 900 new planes," Modi said.

Modi stressed the need to enhance aviation infrastructure capacity to meet the rising demand for air travel.

The Sagarmala project for port development is ushering not only development of ports but also port-led development, Modi said.

"Globalisation is a reality and top infrastructure is needed to keep pace with it," Modi said.

"If we have to carve out a place in a globalised world, we need to enhance our waterways," he added.

New railway lines for Mumbai, waterways and a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian Sea will be completed by 2020, Modi said. 

Later, PM Modi said the Centre's budget reforms have created a new work culture and are transforming the socio-economic landscape.

Addressing the inaugural session of at Magnetic Maharashtra' Global Investors Summit in Mumbai, the prime minister said that the nation is heading towards an efficient and transparent ecosystem at a fast pace.
In his inaugural address, the Prime Minister noted that Maharashtra now eyes to achieve a trillion dollar economy. 

"I am sure that Maharashtra will achieve the objective of being first trillion dollar economy state in India," PM stated.

Your budget is not limited to an outlay, the focus of our budget is not limited to output, but is the outcome. Our reforms in budget making and presentation have created a new work culture and are transforming the socio-economic landscape,? the prime minister said.

The prime minister further stressed on the importance of improvement in 'ease of living' and said it empowers people.

He also said that potential policy, planning, and performance will help the nation to progress.

"We are heading in a direction where a state is policy-driven, governance is performance-driven, the government is accountable, and democracy is participative," he said.

Prime Minister Modi also credited the Maharashtra government for their contribution in improving India's rank in connection with ease of doing business.

He expressed confidence that soon Maharashtra will be India's first trillion-dollar state.
"In the past three years, the Maharashtra government has taken unprecedented steps to strengthen the environment for investment. Today, the infrastructure projects in Maharashtra are attracting the attention of the whole world," he said. 

Make (Artificial Intelligence) in India

Modi inaugurated the Wadhwani Institute of Artificial Intelligence at the Mumbai University's Kalina campus, on Sunday. Speaking at the event, he deliberated on the importance of AI in a multi-lingual country like India. "We are a diverse nation with hundreds of languages and dialects. Can we make communication easier with AI? Can AI be used to bridge the gap in the student teacher ratio?" he questioned. 

"It's time we make AI work for India. It is a fast growing economy, and we should think of using technology to increase our productivity," he added. 

The event saw the presence of several dignitaries including Governor of Maharashtra Ch Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis, State education Minister Vinod Tawde , Mumbai University Acting VC Dr Devanand Shinde, and Romesh and Sunil Wadhwani, founders of the Wadhwani institute of AI. 

Referring to the Yajur Veda, he said that the blend of human thinking and scientific advancement has existed in the country from ancient times. Taking forward the concerns about AI rendering human effort redundant, he said that won't happen. "Each wave of technology gives birth to an opposing force. Human integrity, thus, will continue to flourish... The road ahead for AI would depend on human intention. With the scalability of technology going up, it would give humans more power to do what they want it to do," he added. 

CM Devendra Fadnavis said: "The future is AI . It will disrupt all fields. But, unless we have human resource, the investment would be in vain.”

While inaugurating the institute, which is expected to become one of the leading names in the world's AI scene, Modi also said: "Such initiatives will help combine the public and private sector for the better." 

Founded by Romesh Wadhwani and Sunil Wadhwani, with a funding of Rs 200 crore, the Wadhwani Institute will begin work with a pool of nearly 10 big researchers in AI. It plans to expand it's reach to a hundred researchers working across sectors. "We have three goals — to help develop AI for the undeserved; to make this institute a hub of AI research in the global ecosystem; to have a talent pool of trained people in data sciences ," said Sunil Wadhwani, co-founder, Wadhwani Institute.