India-ASEAN Digital Work Plan 2022 approved

India and ASEAN nations have jointly approved a work plan under which they will develop a system to combat use of stolen and counterfeit mobile handsets, among other things, an official statement said.  

The work plan was approved at the 2nd ASEAN Digital Ministers’ (ADGMIN) Meeting with India, held virtually.

Key Highlights

• ADGMIN is an annual meeting of telecom ministers of 10 ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) countries —Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam—and dialogue partner countries—Australia, Canada, China, EU, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia, UK and US.
• The telecom ministry in December 2019 had launched a portal to help people in Delhi-NCR block and trace their stolen or lost mobile phones.
• The project is backed by the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) system, which was undertaken by the telecom department for addressing security, theft and other concerns including reprogramming of mobile handsets.

• During the meeting, the Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan said that information and communication technologies (ICT) enables and strengthens democratic systems and institutions through enhanced engagement between citizens and the state.

SOURCE: The Hindu

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