‘Data Is Cheaper Than Cold Drink In India’: PM Modi Lauds India’s Digital Successes In Japan

During his three-day visit to Japan, Prime Minister (PM) Modi told his Japanese audience that “1 GB data in India was cheaper than a bottle of cold drink in the country.” He showered praise on India’s “tremendous progress” in setting up the digital infrastructure, as reported by the Press Trust of India.

“Today India is making tremendous progress in the field of digital infrastructure. Broadband connectivity is reaching villages, over 100 crore mobile phones are active in India,” the PM noted. “1 GB is cheaper than a small bottle of cold drink. This data is becoming the tool for service delivery.” PM Modi is on a three-day visit to Japan as part of the thirteenth annual summit between India and Japan.

The PM also congratulated the Indian diaspora in Japan for introducing Kabaddi and Cricket in Japan.

Due to the dirt-cheap mobile data prices in the country, India is now among the top mobile data consuming nations in the world. In the last three years, India’s per capita mobile consumption has gone from 0.26 GB to 4 GB per month. Also, according to the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) Secretary, Subhash Garg, India’s digital economy will reach $1 trillion by 2022.