KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia-India Digital Council (MIDC) is set to hold its inaugural meeting in the first half of the year, laying the groundwork for actionable programmes and initiatives to drive digital trade, technology exchange and talent mobility between both nations.
In a statement, the Ministry of Digital said Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo and India's Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw formalised the council following a meeting at the 18th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) held in Bhubaneswar, India earlier this week.
“Through MIDC, we aim to foster an ecosystem that supports shared growth, talent development and technological advancements for both Malaysia and India,” said Gobind.
MIDC will facilitate the countries' collaboration on the exchange of technical expertise as well as policy and regulatory approaches related to digital technologies.
There will also be exploration of business-to-business partnerships collaboration between industry associations; enhancing collaborations between start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises; and upskilling and reskilling of talents in emerging digital technologies.
According to the statement, the council also seeks to enhance cooperation between Malaysia and India’s Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) on cyber security, and explore opportunities in 5G technology.
While in India, Gobind also met India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar, and representatives from Digital India Foundation and Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). ONDC is an initiative by the Indian government to promote an open e-commerce network that connects shoppers, platforms and retailers.
