The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has acknowledged to a parliamentary committee that India does not have a single, stand-alone policy document consolidating its strategy on digital governance, artificial intelligence (AI), cyber issues, and space diplomacy. This admission was made in the 17th report of the Committee on External Affairs, chaired by Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor, and tabled in September 2026, according to medianama.com.
The MEA explained that India’s strategic direction in these critical technology domains is currently dispersed across various sectoral missions, inter-ministerial coordination mechanisms, and India’s positions in bilateral, plurilateral, and multilateral engagements. When directly asked if there was a clearly articulated strategy linking digital governance, AI, cyber issues, and space diplomacy within foreign policy, the Ministry confirmed there is no single consolidated document. Instead, these elements are reflected in fragmented and ad hoc approaches, the parliamentary report detailed.
The committee’s report described the current approach as ‘fragmentary, piecemeal and ad hoc,’ highlighting the challenges this poses for coherent global tech diplomacy. India’s lack of a unified policy contrasts with other countries that have integrated strategies addressing emerging technologies and digital governance. The absence of a consolidated document could affect India’s ability to present a cohesive stance in international forums on AI, cyber security, and space diplomacy, areas that are increasingly critical in global geopolitics.
The 17th report titled “India’s Role in Global Tech Diplomacy, Digital Governance, Outer Space Diplomacy, AI and Emerging Innovations” was tabled in the Indian Parliament in September 2026. It calls for a more coordinated and comprehensive policy framework to strengthen India’s position in global technology governance and diplomacy.