India and US agree to collaborate on Digital India initiative

New Delhi: India and the United States have agreed to jointly explore opportunities for collaboration on implementing India's ambitious Rs1.13 lakh crore Digital India initiative.

The two sides also agreed to hold the US-India Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Working Group in India later this year.

The aim of the working group is to enhance digital infrastructure, help in deploying e-governance and e-services, and expanding the diffusion and use of ICT in India as a tool to expand economic opportunity and boost productivity among others.

This will be the second such workshop between the two countries. The statement comes in the wake of the first such workshop being held in Washington, DC, on January 14 and 15.

In a statement Saturday, the ministry of communications and IT said, "The participants noted that the ICT Working Group aims to strengthen collaboration between the governments and private sector of the two countries in the field of ICT."

"Broad agreement was reached on the importance of policies that promote innovation in the ICT sector, facilitate the flow of data across borders, and foster the global and open nature of the Internet as a platform for economic growth," the statement said.

Indian officials also raised concerns regarding to the mobility of skilled Indian professionals while their American counterparts expressed their concerns over equipment testing and certification, and agreed to engage on issues relating to the latter.

The joint government-and-industry talks also included panels on promoting manufacturing and investment, IT and telecom policy developments, Internet governance and other issues related to trade, investment and the ease of doing business.

The bilateral ICT Working Group was hosted by the US Department of State and included representatives from the Federal Communications Commission, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Office of the US Trade Representative, the US Trade and Development Agency and the US Department of Homeland Security.

The Indian delegation included officials from the department of electronics and information Technology and the department of telecom.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.