Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) of India and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) of Papua New Guinea have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to share INDIA STACK — a collection of open APIs and digital public goods that aim to facilitate identity, data, and payment services on a large scale.

This collaboration comes after the Union Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Electronics & IT, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar met with Timothy Mark Masiu, MP & Minister for ICT, Papua New Guinea, last week on Thursday. During the meeting, they discussed mutual cooperation in the fields of IT, emerging technologies, and the India stack.

Highlighting the significance of the India stack offerings, MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar stated, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji has a clear vision for India's technology capabilities. The India stack is now available to any country interested in joining the digitalization trend that has accelerated in recent years. Previously, digitization discussions were often centered around disparities between advanced nations and others, but with alliances like this, like-minded countries can cooperate to innovate and implement DPIs (Digital Public Infrastructures) to create a technology and innovation sharing ecosystem.”

The MoU was signed in the presence of Mr. Abhishek Singh, President & CEO of the National eGovernance Division, Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India, Mr. Sushil Pal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India, as well as senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs & National E-Governance Division, MeitY.

Mr. Steven Matainaho, Secretary of the Department of Information and Communication Technology, led the Papua New Guinea delegation, which also included Mr. Noel Colin Awiroweng Mobiha, Board Chairman of the National ICT Authority, and other senior members.

The discussions during the event covered essential aspects of digital transformation, such as Digital Public Infrastructure, Digital Identity, Digital Payment, Data Exchange, Data Governance, Data Protection Policies, internet, and mobile connectivity. The MoU is expected to enhance capacities and facilitate sharing and implementation of population-scale Digital Public Infrastructure and Transformational Platforms/projects to improve living standards and enhance efficiency and transparency in governance.

Earlier in June 2023, India signed MoU with four countries on sharing INDIA STACK during the meeting. Around 150 foreign delegates from 50 countries and over 250 delegates attended the summit in-person and more than 2000 persons attended the summit live.

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