G20 Digital Economy Ministers Achieve Historic Consensus on Digital Public Infrastructure Definition: MoS IT

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New Delhi: G20 Digital Economy Ministers have achieved a historic consensus on defining digital public infrastructure (DPI), announced Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday. This groundbreaking agreement was reached during India’s presidency, marking the first-ever global consensus on DPI’s definition, framework, and principles.

Chandrasekhar highlighted India’s role in driving this digitalization effort, particularly through the Digital India program launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015. India has pioneered several DPIs, such as Aadhaar, UPI, Digilocker, Cowin, and others, aimed at delivering electronic services to citizens.

“India is now a case study- a nation that has employed and deployed technology for progress and growth,” Chandrasekhar said.

India has signed eight memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Armenia, Sierra Leone, Suriname, Antigua, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Papua New Guinea, and Mauritius. These agreements offer the above-mentioned nation access to India’s digital infrastructure stack and DPI at no cost with open-source access, further emphasising India’s commitment to digital progress.

Chandrasekhar revealed that India’s digital economy is set to reach 20 per cent by 2025-26, relying on the fact that it has already seen a remarkable growth of 11 per cent from 4.5% in 2014. Consensus was also achieved on topics like cybersecurity and digital skills.

The DPI conversation extends beyond India’s UPI and includes various applications within the India stack, especially in areas such as health and storage like Digilocker and several others. India’s focus on nurturing digital talent has garnered international interest, with G20 countries and other nations expressing their interest in collaborating in this regard.

Regarding financing digital infrastructure, Chandrasekhar acknowledged that while discussions had begun, the finer details would evolve over time. He emphasised that these discussions would continue beyond India’s presidency, underlining the enduring commitment to advancing digital public infrastructure on a global scale.