India’s DPI - A force whose time has come

New Delhi: India’s call for global cooperation and equitable growth for all, along with its showcase of transformative digitisation have resonated with the world, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has said, exuding confidence that G20 presidency of India underpins strong messages that will leave an indelible mark. In an interview with G20 presidency, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, DPI, PTIahead of G20 Leaders’ Summit scheduled in New Delhi for September 9-10, Chandrasekhar termed India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) a force whose time has come and added that nothing can stop it. He said the Indian approach on DPI smashes old normal, which was about big tech companies dominating the space, and paves the way for new normal, one that is open source, nimble, consumer-driven, and `non-intermediated’. “When over 1 billion Indians are using it, who can resist it?,” Chandrasekhar said.

The Minister of State for Electronics and IT was referring to the country’s payment, identity and other population-scale platforms which have captured attention of many nations with several MoUs already signed. India is developing its DPI as a core utility for every citizen. Chandrasekhar pointed out that India’s message, in its capacity as current president of the G20 grouping of the world’s biggest economies, has been about accelerated, inclusive and resilient growth for all. With New Delhi drawing global attention to cooperation for common good, and global macroeconomic stability, India’s approach and beliefs will resonate way beyond its G20 presidency, the minister affirmed.

“Our message from day one has been that the world is one family, that there is a need for more and more global cooperation to achieve our common good and common goals of sustainable planet, of prosperous, developing world for all countries and people. So I think that message will resonate long after the G20. The message that this is an era for responsible countries to show responsible rule of law...that will also resonate way beyond the G20 presidency of India,” Chandrasekhar pointed out. India has highlighted that power of technology, innovation, and bright, young minds all around the world will shape the global future. “So I think India’s presidency will certainly give a lot of permanent messages and learnings to the countries of the world beyond the G20 presidency, and it will certainly be one of the more defining Presidencies of the G20 in the recent years,” he said. While the world went through two `black swan events’ over last 3-4 years, India has emerged as a “bright spot” with its economy expanding and “chugging at full speed”, Chandrasekhar noted.