The 2nd ASEAN Digital Ministers (ADGMIN) meeting with India was held on a virtual platform on January 28 where two sides finalized India-ASEAN Digital work plan 2022 for future collaboration in the field, the Ministry of Communications informed on Saturday.
Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications (MoSC) and Admiral Tin Aung San, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Myanmar co-chaired the meeting.
The ADGMIN is an annual meeting of Telecom Ministers of 10 ASEAN and dialogue partner countries - Australia, Canada, China, EU, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia, UK and US. The meeting discussed and deliberated various matters relevant to strengthening regional digital cooperation in the spirit of digital inclusion and integration, the Ministry of Communications said in a release.
Addressing the august gathering of Digital Ministers, Devusinh Chauhan emphasized that Information and Communication Technologies enable and strengthen democratic systems and institutions through enhanced engagement between citizens and the state.
He added that the use of ICTs promotes free speech, human rights and the free flow of information besides expanding citizens' opportunities to participate in the decision-making process and have the potential to transform the lives of people living in rural areas.
The Minister recalled the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to leverage different technological solutions for the development of the nation.
In his address, Devusinh Chauhan stated that COVID-19 is not only a challenge for the public health system, but it is also, shaking the economic and social orders of the countries. In this scenario, Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) have emerged as powerful tools to mitigate the effects of pandemic in different spheres of public life and they are foundations of the global economy.
The Ministers meeting approved the India-ASEAN Digital Work Plan 2022.
The work plan includes a system for combating the use of stolen and counterfeit mobile handsets, WiFi Access network interface for nationwide public internet, the capacity building and knowledge sharing in emerging areas in the field of Information and Communication Technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, Advanced Satellite Communication, Cyber Forensics, etc.
The ongoing and proposed projects in ICTs will strengthen collaboration between India and ASEAN by leveraging complementary strengths of each other.
( With inputs from ANI )
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