India’s junior Communications Minister Devusinh Chauhan has said that India shares the dream and vision of ITU to realize the world as a connected society, and enabling ICTs, to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

While participating in a high-level policy session themed “Bridging the Digital Divide”, a ministerial roundtable on information and communications technologies ( ICT) relating to artificial intelligence, Chauhan apprised the global forum about the Indian government’s initiatives like Bharatnet to cover all 600,000 villages, umbrella mobile coverage for all villages, high speed internet access to all and many other similar initiatives.

The Minister, while earlier asking members to support India’s re-election to an ITU’s Radio Regulation Board (RRB), apprised the roundtable delegates that India successfully got a customised standards approved, which will help in spreading 5G in rural areas.

He also briefed her participants at various other meetings of India’s initiatives related to ICT and AI. Being one of the fastest-growing economies, India has a significant stake in the AI revolution, given its disruptive nature, and potential, to transform economies, he explained, according to a government statement.

Proposing name of Ms. M. Revathi, as India’s candidate for Member of Radio Regulations Board, Chauhan said that Ms. Revathi has a proven track record of professional expertise, leadership capabilities, commitment to deliver time bound tasks, systematic problem-solving capability and framing regulations, for inclusive ICT development.

The Minister was leading the Indian delegation at ITU’s World Summit of Information Society (WSIS) 2022, held in Switzerland from May 31 to June 3.

WSIS is co-organized by International Telecommunications Union, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, United Nations Development Programme and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, in close collaboration with all WSIS Action Line co-/facilitators and other UN organizations. It is an on-going process since the WSIS Summit in 2003 to take forward initiatives in building the information society for the world community.

India is contesting for re-election, to the ITU Council for the term 2023-2026. India has been a member of ITU since mid-19^th century and has been continuously participating in and contributing to the works and activities of the ITU.

On the sidelines of the WWIS, Chauhan held multiple bilateral meetings, including those with the Deputy Secretary of ITU Malcom Johnson; Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Iran Issa Zarepour and Secretary General of ITU Haolin Zhou.