Second meeting of G20 Digital Economy Working Group in Hyderabad from April 17

The second meeting of the G20 Digital Economy Working Group will begin in Hyderabad on April 17, with the participation of experts from around the world sharing information and experiences in digital and telecom technologies, and on inclusive development.

Department of Telecommunications Secretary K.Rajaraman said the three-day event will be centered on three topics and specific thematic areas. “The first topic we are looking at is high-speed mobile broadband and its impact on lives of people and society at large and industry,” he said. The other sessions are centered on ‘Digital Inclusion: Connecting the Unconnected’, and ‘Sustainable, Green Digital Infrastructure: Challenges and Opportunities’, he said.

On the second day, and the last day, G20 members and invited guests countries and organisations will deliberate and discuss the actionable deliverables in Digital Public Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, and Digital Skilling.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Secretary Alkesh Kumar Sharma said that the India Presidency has launched two major campaigns for the first time. “We have run two campaigns: one is Stay Safe Online, which is running now in all G20 countries, and invited countries,” he said, adding that it has met with massive success. The second campaign is the Digital Innovation Alliance. As many as 1,650 startups have applied from all over the world. These will be assessed by an independent jury. There are six thematic areas, including agriculture, health and education. A total of 18 awards with three in each category will be given. Almost all G20 countries have appointed single point of contact.

“The whole idea is that we will be able to discuss how the startup community is learning from each other, the good practices that they have done. So this will come through this alliance,” Mr.Sharma said.