India's digital public infrastructure can help developing world: Amitabh Kant

Kumarakom: India's digital public infrastructure, with open standards, open API, and interoperability as its fulcrum to facilitate easier adoption, can potentially benefit the developing world, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said Thursday.

In his inaugural address at a side event of the four-day G20 sherpa meeting that began Thursday, Kant highlighted the success of India stack -such as Aadhaar, Co-Win, UPI, DigiLocker, BHASHINI and their potential benefit for the world.

"DPI (Digital Public Infrastructure) have a crucial role in providing inclusive access to public services effectively and efficiently," he said at the event organised by the G20 Secretariat in partnership with Nasscom, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), and Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL).


India is pitching its digital infrastructure at G20 as an open-access platform that can aid in improving development outcomes.

"India has made huge strides in past few years in the Digital domain," Kant said, underlining the open standards, open API, and interoperability as the hallmarks of the country's DPI that could facilitate easier adoption, especially in developing and least developing countries.

Issues related to financing safe, inclusive, and trusted public infrastructure and the costs associated with developing foundational DPI that works for a competitive market, innovation and inclusion also figured in the discussions at the event.

The government is also showcasing the DPI at a specially created Digital India Experience zone for international delegates highlighting key platforms developed that offer solutions such as digital identity, financial inclusion, and equitable access to education and health.

Private sector enterprises such as Google, Microsoft, PayTM, Fractaboo, AWS and TCS, which showcased the innovation potential of DPI also participated in the zone, an official statement said.

Nandan Nilekani, co-founder & chairman of the Board, Infosys, and Thierry Bretton, Commissioner for Internal Market of the European Union also addressed the participants on the utility of DPIs and India's ambitious DPI agenda during its G20 Presidency, it added.