Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday highlighted India’s rapid technological transformation and growing innovation ecosystem at VivaTech 2026 in Paris, urging global technology leaders and investors to partner with India in building solutions that benefit all of humanity.
Addressing the tenth edition of VivaTech, Europe’s largest technology event, Modi said innovation remains the most effective response to global disruptions and positioned India as a leading force in the democratization of technology.
“Where convention fails, innovation can help,” Modi said, recalling the message he delivered during his address to the technology summit in 2021 when the world was grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Prime Minister noted that 2026 marked a significant year for India and Europe following the conclusion of the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement earlier this year. He said the landmark pact would deepen trade and investment ties while creating new opportunities for talent mobility, technology collaboration and tourism.
Highlighting the strengthening India-France partnership, Modi said the launch of the India-France Year of Innovation had helped bring the technology ecosystems of India and Europe closer together. He pointed to growing collaboration between startups from both regions, from innovation events in Nice to partnerships forged at VivaTech in Paris.
Modi used the platform to showcase India’s expanding digital infrastructure, describing technology as the driving force behind the country’s transformation over the past decade.
“From creating the world’s largest digital identity system to the world’s largest digital payments platform, we are using technology at a massive scale for financial inclusion, education, telemedicine, agriculture and more,” he said.
Citing the success of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Modi said India now accounts for half of the world’s real-time digital transactions. He noted that UPI services are now available in France, including at iconic locations such as the Eiffel Tower and Paris Airport.
The Prime Minister also highlighted India’s digital public infrastructure, including DigiLocker, which enables more than 700 million users to access verified digital documents, and the Gati Shakti platform, which integrates over 1,600 geographic data layers to accelerate infrastructure planning and execution.
He pointed to the Svamitva programme as an example of technology delivering economic empowerment in rural India. The initiative combines drones, geospatial mapping and modern survey techniques to provide property ownership records to villagers. According to Modi, more than 31 million property cards have been prepared across nearly 200,000 villages, enabling families to leverage property assets for financial security.
The Prime Minister also drew attention to grassroots technological innovations transforming lives across India. He cited an artificial intelligence application, Saralaben, which provides livestock management advice to millions of women dairy farmers in local languages, while women drone pilots are helping modernize agriculture through crop monitoring and fertilizer spraying.
“Technology solutions are delivering prosperity at the grassroots level,” he said.
Modi further highlighted India’s achievements in advanced science and technology, including becoming the first nation to successfully land near the Moon’s south pole and recent progress in nuclear energy development through the criticality of the country’s prototype fast breeder reactor.
The Prime Minister described India as one of the world’s most vibrant startup ecosystems, with more than 200,000 startups operating across sectors. Inviting delegates to visit the India Pavilion at VivaTech, he said they would witness innovations ranging from the world’s first single-piece 3D-printed rocket engine and advanced genetic therapies to AI-powered healthcare diagnostics, cybersecurity solutions, autonomous robotics, smart city technologies and next-generation mobility systems.
On artificial intelligence, Modi stressed the need for equitable access and responsible development. “AI must improve lives, widen access, drive growth and also help us sustain a healthy planet,” he said.
Reiterating India’s vision for the technology, he added, “For India, AI means ‘All Inclusive’.”
Modi said India’s open society, vast talent pool, business-friendly reforms and targeted incentives worth over $50 billion were creating unprecedented opportunities for global investors and innovators. He also emphasized the country’s affordable data ecosystem and growing availability of low-cost green energy.
“Our approach is clear. Our government will enable and industry will innovate. Startups will disrupt and global partners will scale with us,” he said.
Calling on technology leaders gathered in Paris to deepen collaboration with India, Modi concluded, “Work with India and deliver for all.”
The address underscored India’s ambition to position itself as a global innovation hub while advocating for technology that is accessible, inclusive and capable of addressing challenges ranging from economic development to sustainability.