G20 Leaders Endorse India's Push For Digital Public Infrastructure
In the G20 New Delhi Declaration, India”s efforts to champion Digital Public Infrastructure were warmly received. India”s aspiration for the adoption of open-source digital solutions for public services, such as UPI, DigiLocker, e-Sanjeevni, ONDC, and Bhashini, within the G20 framework gained significant support.
The declaration specifically acknowledged India”s proposal to establish and oversee the Global Digital Public Infrastructure Repository (GDPIR), intended to serve as a virtual repository for Digital Public Infrastructure. During discussions among the Digital Economic Ministers of the G20 nations, India had advocated for a platform where Digital Public Infrastructure solutions could be openly shared. India even volunteered to develop, build, and maintain this platform.
The World Bank document commends India”s approach to Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and its remarkable achievements in the realm of financial inclusion. It highlights that India has accomplished in just six years what would have otherwise taken nearly five decades to achieve. The JAM Trinity, a combination of Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), Aadhaar, and Mobile, has been instrumental in elevating the financial inclusion rate from 25% in 2008 to an impressive over 80% of adults in the last six years. This acceleration in progress has effectively shortened the timeline by up to 47 years, primarily attributed to the role of DPIs. However, the document highlights that the success of this leapfrogging was also contingent on other ecosystem factors and policies. These encompassed creating a more conducive legal and regulatory framework, national policies aimed at expanding account ownership, and the strategic utilisation of Aadhaar for identity verification.
The report also highlights the significant growth in PMJDY accounts since its inception, with the number of accounts tripling from 147.2 million in March 2015 to a staggering 462 million by June 2022. Notably, a significant portion of these accounts, 56 percent, is owned by women, amounting to over 260 million accounts. The Jan Dhan Plus program, designed to encourage low-income women to save, has yielded promising results. It has attracted more than 12 million women customers as of April 2023 and witnessed a 50% increase in average balances within just five months, surpassing the entire portfolio”s growth in the same timeframe. Moreover, it is estimated that by engaging 100 million low-income women in savings activities, public sector banks in India could potentially attract around Rs 25,000 crore ($3.1 billion) in deposits.
India”s proactive stance in promoting Digital Public Infrastructure gained traction among various international bodies and stakeholders interested in advancing digitisation in regions and nations that have lagged in this domain. MOS MeitY Rajeev Chandrasekhar noted the considerable interest in ensuring that less digitally developed areas have the means to implement digital solutions.
Another noteworthy Indian initiative, the One Future Alliance (OFA), also mentioned in the New Delhi Declaration. The OFA”s objective is to enhance capabilities and offer technical support and funding to assist Low and Middle-income Countries in embracing Digital Public Infrastructure. The OFA is expected to have its headquarters in India and will involve the participation of other countries, private entities, and civil society members.
The declaration emphasised the importance of a safe, secure, trusted, accountable, and inclusive digital public infrastructure that respects human rights, personal data, privacy, and intellectual property rights. Such infrastructure is seen as a catalyst for resilience, service delivery, and innovation.
Overall, the New Delhi Declaration highlights India”s leadership in advocating for the widespread adoption of Digital Public Infrastructure and the global recognition of its significance in fostering technological progress and inclusivity.
