Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hoping that Amazon’s $5 billion Kindle e-reader and Amazon Music app can boost his country’s economy and lure people back to the Amazon Prime Store.
Amazon has promised to give millions of people a free copy of its Kindle ereaders and to add its music app, and Amazon has set a goal of offering a million free Kindle books a month.
Modi said Amazon is committed to investing in India, and he said his government is looking at all the options.
“Amazon is not only a business in India but a business that helps create jobs and boost the economy of the country,” he said at a joint press conference with President Pranab Mukherjee.
“So we will look into all the possibilities.
We will be open to all.
I will work with Amazon.
We are very open.
We have already signed an agreement with Amazon,” he added.
“We will do everything we can to bring them to India.
But there will be no question of giving them money,” he continued.
He did not specify the terms of the deal.
The government has pledged to provide the free books to 1.2 billion people, a goal the Prime Minister said he will reach by 2020.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A free Kindle ebook is usually available for $14.99.
