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India’s G20 Task Force Report on Digital Public Infrastructure
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Context:
The G20 task force set up in 2023 led by Amitabh Kant and Nandan Nilekani recommended India should identify a body to promote digital public infrastructure (DPI).
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI):
- Refers to the digital building blocks needed to deliver public services.
- It includes platforms like Digital Identification, Payment Infrastructure etc.
- India has achieved significant economic development through its India Digital Public Infrastructure (formerly India Stack).
- India’s DPI, encompassing digital identity, fast payment systems, and consent-based data sharing, enabled 1.4 billion individuals to access crucial services in:
- Finance, health, education, governance, taxation, skills, and more.
India’s Leadership in DPI:
- India’s globally recognized DPI leadership, highlighted during its G20 Presidency, must extend digital solutions to the Global South to maintain its leading role.
- India should focus on building upon its existing DPI to continue driving inclusion and progress domestically towards more ambitious outcomes.
- Global Initiatives from India:
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) engaging with Indian Missions abroad to globalise UPI payment rails.
- National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) engaged with 80 countries, securing agreements with 20+ payment partners in 30+ countries.
Key Recommendations from India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI):
- India should identify an existing body of global standard with multinational presence to harness the DPI ecosystem across various regions and countries.
- The body should have the capability to work on policy dimensions, formulate and implement strategies with technical and academic expertise.
- It should promote knowledge sharing on DPI and guide nations in effective deployment of resources and work across sectors.
- It should also develop appropriate standards in the DPI technical domains.
Integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) with DPI Cautiously:
- Integrating AI with DPI can amplify its capabilities, but should be done with guardrails of ethical use of AI and data privacy.
- Open-source software, AI models, standards, or content can encourage innovation and scalability in DPI by promoting private sector participation.
- A DPI approach to AI growth should involve open datasets, reusable AI toolkits, and open models to drive market innovation in AI for societal benefit.
- Incorporating principles like privacy preservation, bias mitigation, and algorithmic transparency can build trust in AI-enabled DPI services.