India’s success in building a robust Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) ecosystem is gaining international recognition, with the country now moving to extend its digital model into sectors like agriculture, logistics, and smart cities. At a high-level event at the United Nations Headquarters, Indian leaders reaffirmed their commitment to sharing these advancements with the global community, as UN officials praised India’s digital leadership.
India Showcases DPI Success, Eyes Expansion
Speaking at the event titled “Empowering the Digital Citizen of the Future: Towards an Integrated Digital Public Infrastructure,” hosted by India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, Minister of State Jitin Prasada described India’s DPI journey as a “global showcase” of empowering citizens through technology.
“DPI is fundamentally about enabling people, ensuring good governance, and driving inclusive, sustainable growth,” Prasada stated. He emphasized that technology must serve humanity, not replace it, highlighting India’s future plans to extend DPI into agriculture, logistics, and smart urban development.
Prasada noted that the next stage of India’s DPI strategy would prioritize privacy, data protection, digital literacy, cross-border collaborations, and resilience. Artificial Intelligence, he added, would act as a catalyst in strengthening DPI initiatives, always keeping the welfare of the most marginalized populations in focus.
Global Recognition for India’s Digital Leadership
Philemon Yang, President of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, commended India’s investments in digital infrastructure, calling them pivotal for fostering inclusivity in the digital world.
“Digital technologies are reshaping economies, cutting costs, and opening up unprecedented access to education and healthcare,” Yang said. Citing India’s U-WIN platform—which offers ‘anywhere access’ to vaccinations for pregnant women and children—Yang praised India’s efforts in integrating technology with social welfare.
He also highlighted how digital public infrastructure can accelerate progress across all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), based on his first-hand experience of India’s digital innovations earlier this year.
DPI as a “Global Public Good,” Says India
Jitin Prasada stressed that India’s DPI is built to “scale, serve, and save,” benefiting millions rather than a select few. He described India’s model as a “global public good” and revealed that more than 18 countries, from Singapore to Sierra Leone, are adopting or exploring India’s DPI frameworks.
He further advocated for greater representation of the Global South in global AI discussions. “The digital citizen of the future must not just consume technology but participate in creating a more equitable world,” he said, adding that India is committed to sharing its digital solutions globally.
“When inclusion is part of the design, exclusion becomes a thing of the past. Digital dignity should be a right, not a privilege,” Prasada asserted.
India’s Digital Milestones: Aadhaar, UPI, JAM Trinity
Ambassador P. Harish, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, detailed the country’s digital transformation journey since the launch of Digital India in 2015 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Harish highlighted key initiatives like Aadhaar, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) trinity. This integration connected over 540 million bank accounts with biometric IDs and mobile numbers, streamlining direct benefit transfers and significantly reducing corruption and inefficiencies.
He also pointed out how AI is revolutionizing Indian agriculture, helping 200 million farmers optimize resources and boost productivity. Harish reiterated that India’s vision is to create an integrated, AI-enabled DPI ensuring no one is digitally left behind.
UN Endorses India’s DPI Model
Amandeep Singh Gill, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies, praised India’s DPI model, alongside similar successful examples from Brazil, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
“There’s now overwhelming evidence that DPIs work—they achieve scale and drive deep transformation,” Gill noted. He emphasized the need to foster interoperability between different DPIs globally, which could bolster regional trade and empower digital entrepreneurs at a time when global trade dynamics are strained.
The event also featured Srikanth Nadhamuni, founding CTO of Aadhaar and CEO of Khosla Labs, who presented how India is utilizing artificial intelligence to amplify the impact of its DPI, underlining that India’s inclusive approach can offer a transformative blueprint for countries worldwide.
