DPI needs public and private participation to deal with challenges, says G20 task force

New Delhi: Digital public infrastructure (DPI) needs public and private participation and innovation to address complex and pressing challenges such as achieving sustainable growth, financial inclusion, reducing costs, and harnessing data for development, according to a report released by the G20 task force on DPIs on Monday.

India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure for Economic Transformation, Financial Inclusion and Development, chaired by G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant and Infosys co-founder and chairman Nandan Nilekani, said in its final report that the appropriate use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, could amplify the impact of DPIs.

In the ‘Report of India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure,’ Kant and Nilekani highlighted the focus on building new DPI and increasing the adoption of existing platforms. "The learnings from DPI should be widely available by setting global standards, specifications and best practices," it said. "This approach will go a long way to facilitate efficient and effective implementations of DPI by other countries," the report added.

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India has been engaging with international bodies such as the UN and the G20, especially under its presidency, to facilitate the export of its successful digital initiatives. Known as the Indian Stack, the country's digital infrastructure comprises platforms such as Aadhaar, DigiLocker, DigiYatra and UPI, which have developed through collaboration across sectors.

DPI exports

India also plans to increase exports of its DPI and digital public goods (DPG) by developing new platforms to help emerging economies with financial inclusion, innovation and economic growth. “India did an incredible pole vault in DPI. We achieved in nine years what would have taken 50 years without DPI," said Kant. "We are far advanced in terms of digitisation, and I am confident this report will be the guiding North Star for the world to follow," he added.

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Nilekani said governments and businesses globally are increasingly realising the need for DPI to achieve their sustainable development goals and social goals such as inclusive growth.

"It has happened here in India… with the Aadhaar ID system, aimed at providing a digital identity to every Indian. Now, around 1.3 billion Indians possess this digital ID and on average 10 million eKYC per day is being facilitated through Aadhar," he said.

"Meanwhile in payments, UPI facilitates 13 billion transactions monthly, serving about 350 million individuals and 50 million merchants and DPI-enabled direct transfer has saved the government $41 billion across central government schemes," he added.

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