The Government of India has announced it will host the first India Internet Governance Forum (IIGF) 2021 starting October 20th, 2021. It was announced in a Press Conference, organized at Electronics Niketan, New Delhi.
Internet Governance Forum is a Governance policy discussion platform to discuss public policy issues related to the Internet. It brings representatives from various groups and this type of engagement is referred to as the multi-stakeholder model of Internet Governance. It is adopted by the Internet Governance Forum under United Nations and by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.
The IIGF will start on October 20th, 2021, but prior to that starting this month, various Pre-IIGF engagement events will be held at several universities and colleges across the country. The IIGF 2021 committee 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, Trust, Associations, etc.
Commenting on the announcement, Mr. Anil Kumar Jain, the Chairman of Coordination Committee, India Internet Governance Forum 2021 (IGF) 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.