India needs to develop a strong domestic electronics and telecommunications manufacturing base to avoid difficulties in financing huge imports of these products, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Thursday.

Delivering his speech after inaugurating the `India Telecom 2013,' Mr. Singh stressed on the need of manufacturing facilities in the country to have a balanced trade in electronics products.

Speaking on the topic, he said, "India needs to develop a strong domestic manufacturing base in electronics and telecommunications. We need to act now to avoid a situation where we face difficulties in financing these huge imports."

As per estimates, India will be importing electronics products worth about US$300 billion by the year of 2020, which will be more than the total value of imports of petroleum products.

The PM also stressed that the country urgently needed measures to bridge the rural-urban divide in the area of electronics and telecommunications. He said a program to provide financial aid from the Universal Service Obligation Fund would offer mobile communication services in as many as 56,000 uncovered villages of the country.

Mr. Singh, however, also expressed happiness on the Department of Information Technology's ongoing efforts to create a supportive ecosystem for the growth of electronics and telecommunications manufacturing activities in the country.