India and the United States of America have decided to work in tandem on the purchases that have to be done by the government in relation to the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) related items and services. Presently the matter is related to the drones and the online ecommerce activities with regards to it. Both the countries have confirmed through a statement made jointly. Through the handshake for these activities both the countries will enjoy mutual benefits. The joint ICT Working Group comprising of representatives of the US and India was established in the year 2005. Initially it was not very active but had been revived in the year 2014. Since then, it has been working actively to promote the betterment of the Information & Communication Technology among the two countries. This body also sorts out any issues related to its field among the two nations.
Working Committee discussions
The working committee of the body had met very recently at Delhi. Many relevant issues have been discussed. It has been decided that both countries would work jointly on several areas such as IOT (Internet of Things), standards of technology and the governance through the electronics mode. The dependence of governance on the digital mode is very high in this digital age.
Off late, both US and India have a cordial relation over the internet governance and the commitment that the India Government has shown is extraordinary. One of the main discussion points in the meeting was the additional testing needs of the different equipment that India has. There have been discussions on some problems being faced by the US companies in doing business in India. There are some rules that have to be eased a bit . There are certain rules regarding the testing of the goods that have to be sold in the country. U.S. counterpart members have the view that the testing part has to be covered through international testing.
The way ahead
This year the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued as draft guidelines regarding the procedure that has to be followed for getting a Unique Identification Number for being permitted to fly an aircraft system for civil purposes but without any pilot. Both the sides representatives have decided to go ahead further on different activities through the creation of sub-groups. This will be aimed at further developments in the areas of IOT, Electronics quality and governance through the internet.
