Cabinet approves MoU between India, France in digital technologies

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and France on cooperation in the field of digital technologies. The MoU will be signed between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty of the French Republic.

India, France to cooperate, exchange infor on digital tech

The MoU intends to promote closer cooperation and exchange of information pertaining to the digital technologies and will mutually support each participant’s goal to promote access to digital technology in their country in accordance with the MoU, the government said in an official statement.

Both G2G and B2B bilateral Cooperation in the field of digital technologies will be enhanced.  The MoU envisages improved collaboration leading to employment opportunities in the field of IT.

The cooperation under this MoU will begin on the day it is signed by India and France and will last for five years. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has been mandated to promote international cooperation in the emerging and frontier areas of information technology under bilateral and regional framework of cooperation.

In its endeavour to foster international cooperation in the field of digital technologies, MeitY has entered into MoU agreements with counterpart organisations and agencies of various countries on bilateral or multilateral issues. In this changing paradigm, there is an imminent need for exploring business opportunities and attracting investment in the digital sector through such mutual cooperation, the statement said.

"India and France are long-standing strategic partners in the Indo-European region. The two countries are committed to nurturing a thriving digital eco system and building collaboration that empower their citizens and ensure their full participation in the digital century," said the statement.

Based on the Indo-French Road map on cyber security and digital technology announced in 2019, India and France are pursuing an ambitious bilateral cooperation on advanced digital technologies, particularly in the fields of supercomputing, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies, including in the framework of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), according to the release.

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