Indo-German exchange on innovation and e-governance

The agenda of the delegation visit was filled with exchanges with researchers, civil society think-tanks, companies and associations as well as the Indian Ministry for Electronics and IT (MeitY).

Bangalore: Support for innovation as a driver of digitalisation

In Bangalore, the delegation got to know the NASSCOM Centre of Excellency. They were welcomed by Director Navratan Katariya. The BMDV representatives were able to experience the centre’s work incubating start-ups in the field of Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). They had the opportunity to learn about the Indian approach to supporting young businesses. A highlight was to meet and directly exchange with start-ups of the incubator programme.

New Delhi: Digitalisation of public services

In New Delhi, the delegation of DG Brake met with Abishek Singh, CEO of India’s National e-Governance Division. Germany’s new Digital Strategy and India’s impressive progress in the digitalisation of public services were two key topics of their conversation. They also discussed the GovStack and IndiaStack initiatives which are multi-stakeholder projects that create software components for governments to digitalise their services. Together, the participants identified possible future areas of cooperation on e-governance within the Indo-German Digital Dialogue.

The road ahead for the Indo-German Digital Dialogue

A review meeting between BMDV and MeitY provided the opportunity for the representatives to discuss the update of the Work Plan for the Indo-German Digital Dialogue for 2023-2024.

Dr Ajaj Garg (MeitY) welcomed the delegation and highlighted the fruitful Annual Meeting of the dialogue in June which Secretary Sharma had attended in Germany. Both the German and Indian side emphasised their interest in further intensifying the bilateral dialogue on digital policy during the meeting.

The BMDV and MeitY representatives then worked on aligning the new Work Plan for 2023-2024. Based on the results of the Annual Meeting as well as feedback from stakeholders, the Secretariat for the Indo-German Digital Dialogue presented a draft that will be finalised until the end of the year. They will continue incorporating feedback from stakeholders. The Work Plan will possibly include ethical AI and sustainability as new topics. The secretariat will update the stakeholders of the Indo-German Digital Dialogue about new developments and as soon as the Work Plan is finalised.