6th ASEAN–India Digital Ministers' Meeting Reaffirms Cooperation On AI, Fintech, Cybersecurity

New Delhi, Jan 17 (KNN) The 6th ASEAN–India Digital Ministers' (ADGMIN) Meeting was held virtually on Friday, reaffirming the shared commitment of ASEAN Member States and India to deepen cooperation in the digital domain.

The meeting was co-chaired by Amit Agrawal, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, Government of India, and Nguyen Manh Hung, Minister of Science and Technology of Viet Nam.

ADGMIN is an annual forum of Telecom and Digital Ministers from the 11 ASEAN Member States, along with ASEAN's Dialogue Partners, including India.

Progress on ASEAN–India Digital Cooperation Framework

The meeting noted the adoption of the ASEAN–India Joint Statement on Advancing Digital Transformation at the 21st ASEAN–India Summit in October 2024, which aims to strengthen cooperation in areas including digital public infrastructure, fintech, cybersecurity, AI, capacity building and sustainable finance.

Participants also noted progress in implementing cooperation activities under the ASEAN–India 2025 Digital Work Plan, particularly through capacity-building programmes.

The ministers welcomed the ASEAN–India Digital Work Plan 2026, centred on ICT capacity building, the India–ASEAN Regulators' Conference and telecom ICT deployment, and also noted the launch of the ASEAN–India Fund for Digital Future to support joint digital initiatives.

India Highlights Digital Transformation and Public Infrastructure

Addressing the meeting, Amit Agrawal reaffirmed India's strong commitment to ASEAN–India digital cooperation and welcomed the theme "Adaptive ASEAN: From Connectivity to Connected Intelligence."

He highlighted India's rapid digital progress, citing near-universal 4G coverage, the world's fastest 5G rollout, expanded rural broadband under BharatNet, and India's rise as a mobile manufacturing hub.

He also showcased Digital Public Infrastructure platforms such as Aadhaar, UPI and DigiLocker, and flagged the Sanchar Saathi initiative for telecom user protection, offering to share best practices with ASEAN partners.

India highlighted the IndiaAI Mission's focus on safe and trusted AI and expressed readiness to work with ASEAN on AI capacity building. Agrawal said AI would be a defining force and stressed that innovation must align with responsibility, transparency and public trust.

Shared Vision for a Secure and Inclusive Digital Ecosystem

The meeting concluded with a reaffirmation of the shared vision of India and ASEAN to build an open, secure, inclusive and innovation-driven digital ecosystem that supports mutual growth and regional prosperity.

(KNN Bureau)