Indian Govt to expand scope of DPI and DPG for exporting to global south nations

NEW DELHI : Indian Government is planning to expand the scope of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Digital Public Goods (DPG) in terms of exports by including newer platforms to help emerging market economies with financial inclusion, innovation and economic growth, two people aware of the matter said.

While Aadhaar and UPI are popular among global south countries as these can be easily replicated, India is also pushing for exporting other DPI and DPG, which can significantly impact such economies, the people added.

“India hopes to develop development-oriented and demand-driven partnerships, especially with the global south. These offerings will massively help emerging economies in various social aspects like financial inclusion, spurring innovation, and propelling economic growth,” said the first person mentioned above.

“There is interest in newer DPI as well, as the India stack is increasingly finding popularity among emerging economies,” added the person, who didn’t want to be named.

India’s popular DPI and DPG programmes, especially in developing countries, include CoWin, UPI and Aadhaar. 

Some of the relatively new DPI and DPG that have found traction include Samarth, an initiative by the ministry of education started in 2019, a digital cross-sectoral knowledge platform called Niti for States, launched by Niti Ayog, and Agami, a platform to improve the law and justice system.

In a brief last month, the independent global think-tank Observer Research Foundation said that as the landscape of global finance is undergoing a paradigm shift, with technological innovations reshaping traditional systems, the India Stack has enabled the country to leapfrog legacy financial and payments systems of developed countries.

“International markets including Singapore, the UAE, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and France have all either adopted or are looking to adopt UPI technology,” it added.

Other DPI and DPG under the India Stack include Ayushman Bharat, DigiLocker, Digital Mission, Diksha (national digital infrastructure for teachers), Bharat Bill Payment System, BharatQR, DigiYatra, Government e-Marketplace, Open Credit Enablement Network, Open Network for Digital Commerce and FASTag. India has been actively engaging with international bodies such as the UN and the G20 to facilitate the export of its successful digital initiatives.Known as the Indian Stack, India’s digital infrastructure encompasses various platforms, which have been developed through multi-sector collaborations.

Source : Mint