Prime Minister Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron jointly inaugurated the Bharat Innovates 2026 conclave in Nice, France on Saturday.
Grounded by the evolving India-France Year of Innovation, the speech mapped out India’s rise from a technology consumer to a global deep-tech pioneer.
PM Modi emphasized that while ordinary international relations rely on mutual trade, the India-France partnership is anchored by a shared vision, shared values, and mutual inspiration.
He asserted that the collaboration is specifically geared towards finding technological solutions to complex global challenges.
He highlighted that India has left behind old, conventional paths to foster a mega pool of over 2 lakh registered startups, becoming the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem.
The event spotlighted 120 handpicked Indian deep-tech startups and 15 premier higher education institutions (including IITs) showcasing home-grown capabilities across 13 frontier sectors like semiconductors, space tech, AI, biotechnology, and green energy.
PM Modi remarked that while India lagged during the early manufacturing revolution due to past governance failures, the country is now actively leading the technological and data-driven revolution.
With an aspirational population of 140 crore, India stands as one of the world’s largest data generators.
He noted that India is safely leveraging this diverse data pool by backing it with strong skills, modern infrastructure, and citizen-empowering frameworks like the Digital Personal Data Protection Act.
PM Modi described Bharat Innovates as a vital bridge connecting India’s massive youth talent pool with European capital and expertise.
He closed with a direct pitch to international investors and global CEOs, inviting them to collaborate, build, and invest in India to collectively transform the world.
News Edit KV Raman
