G20 task force on digital public infrastructure

Subject: Governance

Concept:

The Union government has set up India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure for Economic Transformation, Financial Inclusion and Development.
The task force will be co-chaired by India’s G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant and Infosys chairman Nandan Nilekani.
Objective – The task force will oversee and facilitate achieving India’s G20 Presidency agenda and priorities on digital public infrastructure, financial inclusion, promoting digital identity, improved and innovative technology-based services including digital payments system like UPI along with the governance frameworks.

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)

It refers to an open-source identity platform that can be used to access a wide variety of government and private services by building applications and products.
It includes digital forms of ID and verification, civil registration, payment (digital transactions and money transfers), data exchange, and information systems.
These public digital platforms are customisable, localizable, interoperable and leverage public data for open innovation models.
For example, Unified Payment Interface (UPI) architecture’s interoperability is resonated in over 300 banks offering linkages to bank accounts through UPI which is accessed by consumers via 50-plus third-party apps.
The platforms in DPI are based on core principles of consent-based data sharing protocols, openness, equity, inclusivity, fairness, transparency and trust hence reducing the digital divide.

Significance:

Because of DPI’s low-cost and inclusive platforms, India has been able to push the boundary of public service delivery and digitally leapfrog, with the public sector defining regulatory limits and the private sector innovating and competing in the marketplace.
DPI also allows nations to retain strategic control over their digitalisation processes, ensure digital cooperation and strengthen long-term capacity.
A recent study by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has highlighted that on account of the DPI, India has delivered in 10 years what would have taken 50 years to achieve.
The analysis by the Centre for Digital Economy Policy Research (C-DEP) estimates that national digital ecosystems could add over 5% to India’s GDP.
In 2022, UN Development Programme and the Digital Public Goods Alliance, countries from around the world committed to sharing DPGs and best practices for the implementation of DP
Funders also committed US$295 million to advance inclusive digital public infrastructure with DPGs.

Applications: