Reinforcing what the Narendra Modi-led government has been propagating in during their tenure, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind this week said that a “strong bond” was crucial between agriculture and technology.

Speaking at the 13th edition of CII Agro Tech India-2018 in Chandigarh, President Kovind said, “In previous decades, manufacturing and mechanisation have been of appreciable utility to agriculture. Today a strong relationship is emerging between agriculture and the services sector.” He added,

“Biotechnology, nanotechnology, data science, remote-sensing imaging, autonomous aerial and ground vehicles, and artificial intelligence hold the key to generating more value for agriculture.”

The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) had unveiled a discussion paper earlier this year which addressed the national strategy on artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies in India. Here, the government think tank identified five sectors to focus its efforts towards the implementation of AI to serve societal needs. The five sectors were:

• Healthcare
• Agriculture
• Education
• Smart Cities and Infrastructure
• Smart Mobility and Transportation

https://twitter.com/PIB_India/status/1068793414865436672

The BJP-led government has put enough importance towards new technologies starting various new programmes and setting up an AI Task Force to prepare India for the upcoming Industrial Revolution 4.0. Through a series of events and speeches from earlier this year, PM Modi is seen to have been deliberately showcasing India as well as his government as technologically forward.