Prime Minister Keen on Developing Communications and Manufacturing: Prasad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen on developing digital communication, and the government will give major push to the communication and technology industry, union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said Tuesday.

"The Prime Minister is very keen on developing digital communication. We are sitting at the cusp of a digital revolution and we should cash on it," Prasad said during an interaction with women journalists at the Indian Women's Press Corps.

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Prasad, who is both communications and information technology and law minister, said the government was working on a roadmap to make India a hub for electronic manufacturing.

"There is immense possibility for electronic manufacturing in India. Presently, the electronic import is worth $100 billion and it is likely to go up to $400 billion by 2020. We may surpass the value of food import compared to electronics," Prasad said.

"The Prime Minister has fully supported the plan to push for electronic manufacturing," he said.

He refused to give further details, saying the budget will be presented soon.

"The [Atal Bihari] Vajpayee government was known for highways, the Modi government will be known for its digital highways," he said.

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Prasad said the government has started fresh consultations over the Judicial Commission Bill, which was brought by the former government.

On the controversy around senior counsel Gopal Subramanium opting out of the race for appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court as his file was set aside by the government, he said: "The government has the right to be consulted, and can ask for reconsideration."