India’s G20 Task Force Releases Groundbreaking Report on Digital Public Infrastructure for Global Advancement

India’s G20 Task Force Releases Groundbreaking Report on Digital Public Infrastructure for Global Advancement

New Delhi, July 15, 2024 – The final report of India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) was released on Monday, aiming to strengthen the foundations of DPI worldwide, particularly in the Global South. The Task Force, co-chaired by Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa of India, and Nandan Nilekani, co-founder and chairman of Infosys and Founding Chairman of UIDAI (Aadhaar), has led to the acceptance of the definition and framework of DPI during India’s G20 Presidency. This framework will be carried forward for implementation during the Brazilian and South African Presidencies.

According to a statement from the Finance Ministry, the report will play a crucial role in defining the future course of the DPI approach and actions for implementation globally, especially in the Global South. The complete report is available on the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance website.

Amitabh Kant remarked, “India did an incredible pole vault in Digital Public Infrastructure. We achieved in 9 years what would have taken 50 years without DPI. Today in India, UPI is used at all levels, from street vendors to large shopping malls, with the highest percentage of digital transactions globally, accounting for nearly 46% share. All these proved to be building blocks for India to steer through the COVID-19 pandemic, be it transferring $4.5 billion into the bank accounts of 160 million beneficiaries or facilitating the distribution of 2.5 million vaccinations in two years with digital vaccine certificates on mobiles. 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.”

Nandan Nilekani added, “Governments and businesses around the world are increasingly realising that if they really want to achieve SDGs (sustainable development goals) and social goals like inclusive growth, it has to have underlying DPI to make that happen. DPI has the power to dramatically improve the lives of citizens and transform governance.”

India’s G20 Presidency provided a significant opportunity to set and drive the global policy discourse on key economic and developmental agendas. India’s digital public infrastructure – digital identity, fast payment systems, and consent-based data sharing – has demonstrated how 1.4 billion individuals can access socio-economically important services in finance, health, education, e-Governance, taxation, and skills.

The report comprises three essential parts:

1. The DPI Approach: A transformative paradigm addressing global challenges through innovative technological solutions.
2. India’s DPI Agenda: Insights into how India steered its DPI initiatives, especially during its G20 Presidency in 2023.
3. Future Blueprint: A strategic plan for elevating DPI across various sectors globally through policy recommendations.

The report also emphasizes the importance of identifying an existing body of global standards with a multinational presence to foster and harness the DPI ecosystem across various regions, especially in the Global South.