The Indian government is developing and implementing several AI-focused initiatives in the fields of education, health, agriculture and finance. Educational institutions and national agencies are setting up centres and offering courses on new technologies to help build a skilled workforce. Last year, for example, the Robert Bosch Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBCDSAI) at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-Madras) launched the RBCDSAI Industry Consortium to provide information resources on cutting-edge technologies to industries working on AI. “UKSDEA seeks to facilitate digital trade and open up new opportunities in Singapore, the UK and our respective regions by facilitating digital business transactions between Singapore and the UK,” the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Communications and Information and the Infocomm Media Development Authority said on Monday (28 June). The Prime Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, recently launched an online service for identity verification and submission of life certificates for state government retirees. The initiative was launched as part of the State`s Digital Life Certificate System initiative. According to a report, the Prime Minister launched the service virtually while participating in the orientation programme for Odisha`s 153 newly hired civil servants. He claimed that Odisha was the first state in the country to implement such a digital service for pensioners. On 28th June the United Kingdom and Singapore began negotiations on a new digital trade agreement. Discussions with Singapore will focus on securing open digital markets for exporters, ensuring a free and reliable cross-border flow of data and reducing red tape for UK businesses by promoting digital trading systems such as digital customs and border procedures that save time and money when exporting. The negotiations will also aim to deepen UK cooperation in sectors such as fintech and lawtech, while working with Singapore to strengthen collective cybersecurity capabilities. The UK has signed a digital economy deal with Singapore, which is expected to encourage more digital businesses to set up in the Asian country and include cooperation in areas such as cybersecurity.
The UK`s trade relationship with Singapore reached £16 billion in 2020, according to DIT. A third of exports to the Asian country are delivered digitally, including in finance, advertising and mechanical engineering. “We are using our independent trade policy to strike groundbreaking deals that update these rules for the digital age and connect UK businesses to the world`s largest and fastest-growing markets,” she added. Digital restrictions are among the fastest growing barriers to trade. More than 50% of trade in services is facilitated by digital trade, but restrictions on digital trade have doubled in the decade leading up to 2019. To ensure the future of open global trade in services, it is important that new agreements support the cross-border flow of data. The UK should strive to establish clear ground rules for digital trade and create an open and robust framework for future digital trade and technology cooperation. Such a framework can then become a model for other key markets that support the free flow of data and prevent unnecessary market fragmentation. The United Kingdom and Singapore start today [Monday 28. June] with negotiations on an ambitious new digital trade deal that could remove barriers to digital trade and allow UK exporters to expand into high-tech markets. A state-of-the-art agreement with Singapore will allow us to remain at the forefront of the technological revolution and ensure that we are leaders in digital commerce and in sectors such as fintech and cybersecurity. We are already the second largest exporter of services in the world, with a huge comparative advantage in this area that we want to take advantage of.
Singapore is also modernizing its business platforms and working with other countries on how digital technology can help better manage cities, the DPM said. The more Singapore can connect globally while transforming locally, the more successful it can be, the more it can play a role in the global economy. In a statement, Iswaran, who is also Transport Minister, said the digital economy is a positive point that has remained resilient despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said it is a catalyst for economic growth and business transformation. He added that he was pleased that Singapore was expanding its network of digital economy agreements with like-minded and digitally progressive partners, such as the UK. Regarding administrative modernization, An noted that mard has intensified the computer application for its operations, completed its information and reporting system, which was also connected to the government, and applied digital signatures to all documents. In 2022, informed IT would manage administrative procedures online to increase transparency and save time and money. The Ministry would review the views of individuals and businesses on issues related to mechanisms, policies and procedures in its area of responsibility online and review the institutional system for agriculture and rural development. The country has pushed to digitize its services and core government activities.
Earlier this month, OpenGov Asia reported that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed a decision approving a project to develop the population database and electronic identification and authentication applications for the period 2022-2025 with a vision until 2030. Under the programme, in addition to the database and applications, citizen cards with electronic chips will also be used for administrative procedures and the online provision of public services, socio-economic expansion and the development of digital citizens. The project will support the completion of the ecosystem to connect, use and enrich demographic data and leadership instructions at all levels. In 2022, the old and new versions of citizen identity cards will be integrated, allowing the electronic identification of all citizens. The UK is the first European country to start negotiations on a Digital Economy Agreement (DEA). Singapore and the UK are both global leaders in the digital economy, and a DEA would ensure that businesses can trade more efficiently through digital technologies such as electronic transactions, electronic signatures and electronic contracting, the government said. .