Government of India to Host the first Internet Governance Forum in India

Today, the India chapter of the United Nations based forum namely the Internet Governance Forum was announced. It’s an Internet Governance policy discussion platform to bring representatives together from various groups, considering all at par to discuss public policy issues related to the Internet. This mode of engagement is referred to as the multi-stakeholder model of Internet Governance, which has been the key feature for the Internet’s success.  The multi-stakeholder concept is well adopted IGF (Internet Governance Forum) under UN and by ICANN

India Internet The governance coordination committee for IIGF – 2021 features Shri Anil Kumar Jain as Chairman, Shri TV Ramchandran as Vice-Chairman, Shri Jaijeet Bhattacharya as Vice-Chairman, Dr. Rajat Moona as Vice-Chairman and approximately 12 members representing Government, Civil Society, Industries, trusts, Associations, etc.

India IGF 2021 will be planned for three days, starting from 20th Oct 2021. The theme of this year’s meeting is Inclusive Internet for Digital India.

Commenting on the announcement, Mr. Anil Kumar Jain, the Chairman of Coordination Committee, India Internet Governance Forum 2021 (IIGF) said, “India is the second-largest broadband subscription country in the world and also has the highest data consumption per user per month. Therefore, the aspirations of the Indians should be reflected in International policy formation and stakeholder discussion. India Internet Governance Forum is the correct initiative for the country to ensure that the growth of broadband adheres to the lifestyle and requirements of the Indian community. IIGF 2021 is adopting the multi-stakeholder concept in organizing the event as per the true spirit of global IGF. The coordination committee has apt representation from civil society, Government, Industry, Industrial association, trust, and other stakeholders.” 

Starting from August 2021, multiple Pre-IIGF engagement events will be held at several colleges and universities, as a precursor to the IIGF Inaugural event. The idea behind this is to engage the youth and students for their participation in October event and prepare the next generation to be part of policy formation.