India Signs MoU With Trinidad And Tobago For Sharing India Stack

India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Trinidad and Tobago to share the India Stack with the Caribbean nation for mutual digital advancement.

The two countries will work together to cooperate in the areas of ‘digital transformation’ by leveraging the capabilities of India Stack. 

“Both sides agreed to cooperate in the areas of digital transformation by means of capacity building, training programmes, exchange of best practices, exchange of public officials and experts, development of pilot or demo solutions…,” the Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology (MeitY) said in a statement on Thursday (August 17). 

As per Minister of State (MoS) for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the partnership will create a robust and innovative ecosystem of startups, developers and system integrators.

“With the help of India Stack, these countries can climb up the digitalisation ladder rapidly and transform their economies and governance… It shall create a robust ecosystem of startups, developers & system integrators working around it on next-gen innovation,” Chandrasekhar said.

The signing ceremony was attended by officials from MeitY and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). 

The collaboration comes close on the heels of a meeting between Chandrasekhar and Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Digital Transformation Hassel Bacchus in which they discussed mutual cooperation in the fields of IT, emerging technologies, and the India Stack.

India Stack comprises open application programming interfaces (APIs) and digital public goods designed to facilitate identity, data, and payment services. It promotes interoperability by seamlessly integrating components like government identification, payment networks, and data-driven services.

The partnership will allow the two countries to collaboratively build innovative public goods infrastructure and enable efficient systems for government services. Besides, the MoU will also pave the way for rapid digitalisation, allowing both countries to climb the technological ladder and unlock new opportunities for economic growth.

With the MoU, Trinidad and Tobago has joined a growing list of countries that are looking to adopt the homegrown state-backed initiative. India recently inked similar MoUs with countries such as Armenia, Sierra Leone, Suriname, and Antigua & Barbuda, indicating the growing global interest in India Stack. 

Mauritius and Saudi Arabia are also on track to deploy the India Stack, while countries such as France, the UAE, Singapore, and Sri Lanka have begun accepting the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), a key element of the India Stack. 

The latest development comes a day after the Union Cabinet approved the expansion of the Digital India initiative with an additional outlay of INR 14,903 Cr. With India Stack, the government aims to leverage the growing scope of the Indian economy and scale the offering globally to increase India Stack’s acceptability and spur usage.