The Union Cabinet has given its approval to four memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on digital technology with Saudi Arabia, the United States, Italy, and Tanzania. The agreements were signed at different times this year.
The MoU with Saudi Arabia focuses on “Digitization and Electronic Manufacturing” and includes cooperation on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
The MoU with Tanzania, signed in October, involves the sharing of information related to “Digital Solutions implemented at Population Scale for Digital Transformation,” which likely refers to identity technologies. The Indian government stated that both government-to-government (G2G) and business-to-business (B2B) bilateral cooperation in the field of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) will be enhanced.
The MoU with the United States aims to enhance innovation ecosystems through an “innovation handshake.” It was signed in March during the 5th India-US Commercial Dialogue, when the US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo visited India. The agreement seeks to connect the two countries’ dynamic startup ecosystems, address specific regulatory hurdles to cooperation, and promote innovation and job growth, particularly in critical and emerging technologies.
The Italy MoU focuses on the establishment of a mechanism that allows both countries to develop cooperation activities in the field of intellectual property (IP) and information technology services related to this field. It was also signed in March.