NEW DELHI, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday once again made a strong pitch for Digital India, saying the country has become the hotspot of digital innovation across all sectors.

"Today India is the hot-spot of digital innovation, across all sectors. We not only possess a growing number of innovative entrepreneurs, but also a growing market for technology innovation," Modi said, while inaugurating the World Congress on Information Technology.

"We were and we remain one of the most tech-friendly populations in the world. Digital India has not remained merely a government initiative but has become a way of life. Digital India is a journey bringing about digital inclusion for digital empowerment," he added.

Some 2,000 delegates from over 30 countries have been attending the global event, held in the southern city of Hyderabad.

Modi's government launched Digital India in 2015, an initiative aimed at reinvigorating an 18 billion U.S. dollars campaign to strengthen the country's digital infrastructure.

India currently has an Internet population of more than 354 million. Modi's pet initiative focuses on nine "pillars" that the government is expanding on, in its push to try to bridge the country's digital divide.