India to sign MoU with Antigua & Barbuda for cooperation on digital transformation

The Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of India and the Ministry of Information, Communications Technologies, Utilities and Energy of the Antigua and Barbuda on Cooperation in the field of sharing successful Digital Solutions implemented at Population Scale for Digital Transformation.

The MoU intends to promote closer cooperation and exchange of experiences and digital technologies-based solutions (viz. INDIA STACK) in the implementation of digital transformational initiatives of both the country. MoU envisages improved collaboration leading to employment opportunities in the field of IT, the cabinet said in an official release.

The MoU shall come into effect from the date of signature of the parties and shall remain in force for a period of 3 years.

Both G2G and B2B bilateral Cooperation in the field of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) will be enhanced. The activities contemplated in this MoU would be financed through their administration's regular operating allocations.

MeitY is collaborating with a number of countries and multilateral agencies to foster bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the ICT domain. Over the period, MeitY has entered into MoUs/MoCs/Agreements with its counterpart organizations/ agencies from various countries to promote cooperation and exchange of information in the ICT domain. This is in consonance with the various initiatives taken by the Government of India such as Digital India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India etc. to transform the country into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. In this changing paradigm, there is an imminent need for exploring business opportunities, sharing of best practices and attracting investments in the digital sector with the objective of enhancing mutual cooperation, according to the release.

Over the last few years, India has demonstrated its leadership in the implementation of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and has successfully provided delivery of services to the public even during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, many countries have evinced interest in learning from India's experiences and entering into MoUs with India for learning from India's experiences.

India Stack Solutions are DPls developed & implemented by India at a population scale to provide access & delivery of public services It aims to provide meaningful connectivity, promote digital inclusion, and enable seamless access to public services. These are built on open technologies, are interoperable and are designed to harness industry and community participation which fosters innovation.

However, each country has unique needs and challenges in building DPI, although the basic functionality is similar, allowing for global cooperation, the release said.