The Aadhar-based identification system in India has received acclaim from Nobel Prize-winning American economist Paul Romer, who asserted that the country can legitimately show the rest of the world how to do it correctly. Romer had a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New York.
Prime Minister Modi and the former head economist of the World Bank talked on India’s advancement in the digital space, particularly the adoption of Aadhar and cutting-edge solutions like Digilocker.
Various urban development efforts being carried out by India were also evaluated, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s office. The Prime Minister asserted that they had in-depth discussions on leveraging technology to improve people’s lives, which also touched on issues like how to make cities more sustainable and hospitable to visitors.
Paul Romer, senior vice president of the World Bank, claims that PM Modi and he first spoke in 2013 on the importance of efficient urban development as well as the measures that the government must do to take the initiative in this field.
“So for me, a good day is when I learned something and I learned a bunch about what India is doing on this issue of authentication,” the American economist and policy entrepreneur said.
Romer said, “It’s really exciting because the government has to be involved as they are, but they have this foundation with the Aadhar system that means they can do things that most governments around the world can’t do.”
“I think India, just as India did this for Aadhar, I think for telephony and electronic authentication, I think India could really show the world how to do it right,” Romer added.
Romer received the 2018 Nobel Prize in Economics for his contributions to the understanding of long-term economic growth and how it relates to technological innovation.
“Glad to have met noted economist and Nobel laureate, Professor @paulmromer. We had extensive conversations on leveraging technology to improve lives. We also talked about how to make our cities more sustainable and people friendly,” Modi tweeted after the meeting.
The Prime Minister discussed about the measures that the government has implemented to promote economic growth with Dalio, including the decrease in compliances and the decriminalisation of numerous law provisions. Dalio was also invited by Modi to invest more money in India.
“Met my friend, the distinguished author and investor @RayDalio. Urged him to deepen investments in India and also talked about the reform trajectory of our Government,” Modi tweeted.
Also meeting Neil de Grasse Tyson, an astronomer, author, and science communicator, Prime Minister Modi discussed the importance of instilling a scientific mindset in young people.
According to a press statement from the Ministry of External Affairs, they spoke extensively about India’s tremendous advancements in the space industry and the various space exploration missions the country is now conducting.
The Prime Minister and Tyson also discussed opportunities for the private sector and academic collaboration under India’s newly launched National Space Policy.
“Talked space, science and related issues with @neiltyson. Highlighted steps India is taking to reform the space sector and draw more youngsters towards science as well as innovation,” Modi tweeted.
Prof. Robert Thurman, American Buddhist scholar, author, and Padma Shri awardee, called on Prime Minister Modi.
The Prime Minister and Prof. Thurman discussed how Buddhist principles might serve as a compass for addressing the world’s problems. They also talked about how Buddhism is connected to India and the country’s efforts to preserve its Buddhist history.
“The interaction with @BobThurman was outstanding. I admire his passion towards research and scholarship on aspects relating to Buddhism. I highlighted India’s Buddhist heritage and how Buddhism can help overcome many challenges our world faces,” Modi tweeted after the meeting.
Distinguished American math statistician, academic, public intellectual, and author Prof. Nicholas Taleb met with Prime Minister Modi as well.
He praised Prof. Taleb for his accomplishments as a public intellectual and for popularising difficult concepts like risk and fragility.
Prime Minister Modi also brought up the increasing start-up ecosystem in India and the young entrepreneurs’ propensity for taking calculated risks during his chat with Prof. Taleb.
“Professor @nntaleb has interesting perspectives on many issues and I had the opportunity to hear them on some of those subjects. He was greatly interested in India’s development strides. I emphasised on how we are nurturing a spirit of enterprise and risk-taking among our youth,” Modi tweeted later.
