‘Digital Has Changed Lives, It’s A Deadly Serious Issue’ Says EAM Jaishankar

External affairs minister S Jaishankar said "digital has changed our lives, every time you look at that screen you are learning something but somebody else is also learning something about you"

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Thursday raised concerns about the digital world saying it's a deadly serious issue. “Digital has changed our lives, every time you look at that screen you are learning something but somebody else is also learning something about you. Your likes, dislikes, demands, and preferences are all being captured,” said Jaishankar. 

Stating it’s a deadly serious issue, Jaishankar said, “Every digital transaction contributes to Artificial Intelligence, contributes to the creation of capabilities which will determine the balance of power among nations in the coming years.”

Addressing a gathering Jaishankar said, "We are gathered here today because India got the G20 presidency. G20 is a gathering of the 20 biggest economies of the World. It's not just a collection of 20 nations. G20 presidency is a very special responsibility at a difficult moment."

The first Finance Ministers & Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting under the G20 Indian Presidency is scheduled during February 24-25 and will be chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and co-chaired by Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das.

The G20 FMCBG meeting will be preceded by a meeting of G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies (FCBD) on February 22, co-chaired by Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth and RBI Deputy Governor Michael D. Patra.

The meeting will see the participation of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the G20 members, invitee members and heads of International Organisations. In total, there will be a delegation of 72 members attending the meeting.

The Indian Presidency has designed the meeting agenda in a manner that can foster a meaningful exchange of ideas among Ministers and Governors on pragmatic and meaningful approaches to address some of the key global economic issues, the ministry of finance said in a statement.

"The meeting will be spread over three sessions on February 24-25, covering issues such as strengthening multilateral development banks to address shared global challenges of the 21st century, financing for resilient, inclusive and sustainable 'cities of tomorrow', leveraging Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for advancing financial inclusion and productivity gains," it said.

The sessions will also cover issues related to global economy, global health, and international taxation, it said, adding, the discussions in the G20 FMCBG meeting are intended to provide a clear mandate for the various work streams of the G20 Finance Track in 2023.

The foreign ministers of the Group of Twenty (G20) countries are set to meet in New Delhi in March.

India's special invitee guest countries are Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and UAE. India is hosting G20 meetings across several cities around the country.