According to Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, India's G20 presidency will be a great opportunity to create a consensus on developing an open, connected, safe, and useful internet for everyone.
Pichai said it is incredibly meaningful to be honoured in this way "by the country that shaped me" after receiving the Padma Bhushan, India's highest civilian honour, from Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India's ambassador to the US, in San Francisco.
"India is a part of me. I carry it with me wherever I go. I was fortunate to grow up in a family that cherished learning and knowledge, with parents who sacrificed a lot to make sure I had opportunities to explore my interests," Late on Friday, Pichai stated in a blog post.
He said that the "Digital India" initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has undoubtedly accelerated progress, and added, "and I'm proud that Google continues to invest in India, partnering with governments, businesses, and communities over two transformative decades".
Google recently announced that it would invest $10 billion in India's digital future, working to make internet access more affordable and accessible by developing products for the country's specific needs, assisting businesses of all sizes with their digital transformation, and using artificial intelligence to address significant societal problems.
According to Pichai, "We're also investing deeply in digital skilling and have trained over 1 million women through our WomenWill Entrepreneurship Program and over 55,000 teachers in partnership with the government and local organisations,"
Along with this, the tech giant funded over 100,000 Google Career Certificates in association with Tata Strive and the Nasscom Foundation.
"Earlier this year, we added 24 new languages to Google Translate using a new advancement in machine learning. Eight of them are languages native to India," Pichai added.