On Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs set up the new, emerging and strategic technologies (NEST) division.
This move comes even as the Department of Telecom permitted the 5G trials to commence in the country. Chinese major Huawei, suspected of posing a security threat to India, was also given a go ahead to be a part of the trial.
It is expected that this division will act as the nodal agency within the Ministry for issues pertaining to new and emerging technologies. It will help the domestic companies collaborate with their foreign counterparts on matters related to 5G and artificial intelligence amongst others.
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Amongst its priorities, the division will work to evolve India’s technological policy in consultation with the domestic industries, which will positively impact India’s developmental goals and national security priorities.
The division will also help assess foreign policy and international legal implications of new and emerging technologies-based resources and recommend appropriate foreign policy choices.
Many of these new and emerging technologies have an impact on diplomatic choices, national security evaluation and global rule making. Hence, a need was felt to streamline decision making in this regard.
As per a World Bank report in 2017, India is expected to lose 67% of its current jobs to automation that is emerging due to new technologies.