STATE TIMES NEWS
- Invites world to host data in India
- I am never fully satisfied; public life demands constructive restlessness
- Budget shunned populism; bets on capex to power jobs, and growth
NEW DELHI: The benefits of a decade of defence reforms were evident during Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, asserting that India has to be prepared at all times to deal with security challenges.
As a country that is playing an increasingly important role in the world, India has a duty to modernise its defence sector in line with current realities, Modi said in an exclusive interview to PTI.
Citing the allocation of Rs 7.85 lakh crore to the defence sector in the Union Budget 2026-27, the prime minister said the outlay is 15 per cent higher than the previous budget and is also the “biggest chunk” given to any ministry or department.
Since day one, the government has been clear — it will do whatever it takes to support the country’s defence forces and strengthen them, he said.
Modi said the Indian armed forces must be equipped with the best of Indian innovation and industry as technology is reshaping the world and that the NDA government has been working on modernisation and self-reliance in this sector for the last 11 years.
On Operation Sindoor, the prime minister said the entire country is proud of the courage shown by the armed forces.
“During the operation, one could see the benefits of the reforms we have undertaken in the last decade. Therefore, defence budgets, modernisation, etc., all these are parts of our continuous effort and need not be linked to any particular issue,” he said in the written interview.
The prime minister was asked if the higher budgetary allocation to the defence sector was part of the lessons learnt from Operation Sindoor and does it also signal a continued mistrust of India’s neighbours, including Pakistan.
“Yes, the reality is that our country has to be strong and be prepared at all times, and that is what we are doing,” he said.
Modi said the modernisation of the armed forces has been a priority of his government.
“In this year’s budget, a record Rs 7.85 lakh crore have been allocated to the defence sector. This is 15 per cent higher than the previous budget and is also the biggest chunk allotted to any ministry or department,” he said.
“If you look at the details, too, there are noteworthy aspects. For modernisation, Rs 1.85 lakh crore have been allotted, which is 25 per cent above last year’s allocation,” he said.
Modi said the capital expenditure allotment for the three forces is almost Rs 2.2 lakh crore, of which 75 per cent is reserved for procurement from domestic defence industries.
“This not only enhances security but also creates jobs and strengthens our industrial base. The results are already visible — defence exports have crossed Rs 23,000 crore, a nearly 35-fold rise in the past decade, and indigenous defence production has touched record levels,” he said.
The prime minister said the government has been “very sensitive” to the well-being of the ex-servicemen.
“Hence, the allotment for the healthcare scheme exceeds Rs 12,000 crore. In percentage terms, it is a 45-per cent rise. But there is something more that I wish to place on record…,” he said.
“Since day one, our government has been clear — we will do whatever it takes to support our defence forces and strengthen them. Yes, this year’s allocation is a record high, but viewing it in isolation only provides a limited perspective,” Modi said.
The prime minister noted that it was the NDA government that fulfilled the four-decade-long demand for OROP (One-Rank-One-Pension).
“It is one of our biggest tragedies that those who ruled the country for decades used the defence sector only to enrich their own pockets, as evidenced by the number of defence-related scams during their tenure,” he said in an indirect criticism of the previous Congress governments.
Modi also highlighted his government’s push for defence modernisation.
“We have been working on modernisation and self-reliance in this sector for the last 11 years. See the number of startups working in this sector now,” he said.
“We believe in giving Indian talent the opportunity to support our forces and contribute to a stronger India,” he added.
With the Budget providing incentives to turbocharge investments in data centres, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday pitched India as a global hub for digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence, saying the country is ready to host the world’s data and lead the next wave of the technology revolution.
“The tax incentives announced in the Budget are designed to accelerate investment in this space, lower the cost of building advanced facilities and position India as a globally-competitive destination for data infrastructure,” Modi said in an exclusive interview to PTI.
In a strong global-outreach message, the prime minister said, “We invite the whole world’s data to reside in India!”
In the just-unveiled Budget for the financial year starting April, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced that the likes of Amazon, Google and Microsoft could receive a tax holiday until 2047 on global cloud revenues if they route foreign workloads through Indian data centres.
Also, data-centre services are now eligible for a coverage under the Safe Harbour Rules, with a margin of 15 per cent, as the Budget 2026-27 has pushed to attract AI investment, boost infrastructure and jobs, while managing competition, data protection and enforcement risks.
Modi underscored the importance of data centres. “When we think of technology, we often focus on what is visible, such as applications, platforms and devices. But equally important are the foundational layers that make all such things possible. Data centres are one such critical layer,” he said.
Linking this to AI, the prime minister said, “The importance of this becomes even more apparent when we look at the domain of artificial intelligence. AI needs computing power and data-centre infrastructure. By expanding capacity today, we are laying the foundations for a thriving Indian AI ecosystem.”
Recognising this potential, major investments have already been announced in this space by international and Indian companies in the recent past.
“The tax incentives announced in the Budget are designed to accelerate investment in this space, lower the cost of building advanced facilities and position India as a globally-competitive destination for data infrastructure. The result of this, too, will be a massive number of jobs for our youth,” Modi said in the written interview.
In a strong pitch to global investors, the prime minister added: “We invite the whole world’s data to reside in India!”
His pitch came a day before India hosts the global assembly of tech tycoons, AI business leaders, policymakers, investors and innovators. The Global AI Impact Summit, to be held in New Delhi from February 16 to 20, will see a host of heads of state and government, including France’s Emmanuel Macron and Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, along with the representatives of more than 60 other countries.
Modi said India must move beyond digital adoption to digital leadership, arguing that in a technology- and data-driven world, leadership, and not mere participation, will determine inclusion, competitiveness and growth.
“The world has been undergoing significant shifts in its technological landscape. Now, nations cannot be content with just digital adoption but must also aspire to digital leadership. As we saw in the digital payments space, only with digital leadership will digital inclusion become possible,” he said.
Drawing a historical contrast, the prime minister added: “During the Industrial Revolution, we were left behind due to colonisation. During the earlier manufacturing revolution, we were left behind due to neglect by post-independence governments. But now, in this technological and data-driven revolution, it is important that we take the lead.”
He said India’s scale and diversity give it a unique advantage.
“India, with an aspirational population of 140 crore people, is one of the world’s largest generators and consumers of data. We are one of the most diverse nations in the world and our data also reflects this diversity. Such a massive and diverse data pool has great potential only when it can be leveraged safely and productively. So we are paying attention to every aspect of the data ecosystem, including security, skills, software and infrastructure,” the prime minister said.
On safeguards, he pointed to the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
“For security, we brought in the digital personal data protection law to build a safe, secure, privacy-protecting, rights-based framework that empowers citizens,” he said.
Modi said India’s strength in talent and software is already recognised globally.
“As for skills and software, the talent of Indian youth in the data-science space is world-renowned,” he asserted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that by temperament, he is “never fully satisfied” and believes that public life demands a certain constructive restlessness, a constant urge to do more, to improve faster and to serve better.
Modi, however, stressed that it is also important to acknowledge the scale of progress achieved in the journey of ‘Reform Express’.
In an exclusive interview with PTI, the prime minister said there is always a strong desire to achieve more for the people and to take the country forward.
Asked if he was satisfied with the progress made as India’s ‘Reform Express’ continues to gain momentum in many sectors, Modi said, “You’ve asked whether I am satisfied with the progress made in the Reform Express. I must say that by temperament, I am never fully satisfied. I believe public life demands a certain constructive restlessness, a constant urge to do more, to improve faster, to serve better.”
“So yes, there is always a strong desire to achieve more for our people and to take our country forward. At the same time, it is important to acknowledge the scale of progress achieved in the journey of Reform Express,” the prime minister said in a written interview.
Reform is the commitment of this government, Modi said, adding that it was something “we have shown in letter and spirit”.
“I am proud to say that we have moved from incremental adjustments to systemic transformation,” the prime minister said.
Calling productive spending a hallmark of his government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the just unveiled Union Budget deliberately avoided short-term populism and instead channelled record capital outlays into infrastructure to drive jobs and sustainable growth.
In an exclusive interview with PTI, Modi said his government has used its years in office to plug “structural gaps left behind by earlier administrations”, pursued bold reforms and laid the foundations for a developed India. He asserted that the latest Budget marks the “next level” of that journey.
Describing the Budget for fiscal year starting April 1 as reflective of his governance approach, Modi said the document “is a good reflection of our governance style and priorities”.
“This Budget represents the next level in this journey, imparting momentum to our ‘Reform Express.’ It is designed to accelerate momentum and prepare our youth for the opportunities of a rapidly changing world,” the prime minister told PTI.
He cited the pre-Budget Economic Survey to state that capital accumulation, labour formalisation, and digital public infrastructure together have elevated India’ potential growth rate to 7 per cent.
“Productive spending has been a hallmark of our government. The high capital expenditure reflects our focus on infrastructure and capital investment, which are strong engines for long-term growth,” he said in the written interview to PTI.
