Holding to its stance on data localisation issue, India on Friday (28 June) refused to sign the Osaka declaration on digital economy, led by developed economies of Japan and the US to push for free flow of data across borders, reports Indian Express.

Joining India against the declaration were South Africa and Indonesia, while 24 other countries and groupings became a signatory. The issue is being reported to have become a point of major discord between major developed countries in the G-20 on one end, and countries like India and China on the other.

India's stance on the subject had also been bolstered after the Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal at a recent G-20 ministerial held in Tsukuba city of Japan on 8-9 June had presented similar views. He had stressed that all nations should appreciate that the digital divide within and across nations is a serious impediment for developing countries to benefit from digital trade.

"Capacity constraints in developing countries, can be overcome with timely support of training and creation of digital infrastructure. This is important for facilitating a level playing field in the digital economy for all countries to take equitable advantage of data free flow,” Goyal had underscored.