Aatmanirbhar Bharat call to help country capitalise on its inherent strengths: Venkaiah Naidu

The call for a self-reliant India is not aimed at encouraging "protectionism or isolationism", but for adopting a pragmatic development strategy to enable the country recognise and capitalise on its inherent strengths, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday.

Speaking at the virtual launch of 'Elyments' mobile app, Naidu said the "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" campaign was aimed at giving a new boost to the economic potential of the country by strengthening infrastructure, using modern technologies, enriching human resource, and creating robust supply chains.

ALSO READ

Reliance launches unlimited free conferencing app JioMeet as a competition to Zoom

Naidu said it was quite appropriate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge' on Saturday as it would encourage Indian IT specialists to prepare apps for various use to enhance the quality of life.

The vice president noted that more than a thousand IT professionals, who are also the volunteers of the Art of Living, have together created the app. Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was also part of the virtual launch.

On the YouTube link of the launch event, commenting on Elyments, the developers said, "People will be able to connect globally and shop locally".

The data of users is stored in India and user's data will never be shared with a third party without user's consent, the write up said. It allows free audio-video calls and a private chat connection.

The vice president said such initiatives by the Indian tech industry and professionals were truly praiseworthy as they not only demonstrated India's prowess in technology but also were a step towards a self-reliant India.

Recently billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries launched JioMeet video conferencing app with unlimited free calling that is being seen as a rival to Zoom.

According to the company's website, JioMeet supports HD audio and video call quality with up to 100 participants, and offers features like screen sharing, meeting schedule feature, and more.

(Disclaimer: Additional background information has been added to this PTI copy for context)