Report of India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure 2024

08 November 2024

India’s G20 Task Force released the final Report of India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in New Delhi on July 15, 2024, marking a significant milestone in the global discourse on digital transformation. The report encapsulates the achievements and frameworks established during India’s G20 Presidency. It emphasises the transformative potential of DPI in fostering economic growth, financial inclusion, and sustainable development.

The report also serves as a guiding framework for future implementations under the upcoming Brazilian and South African G20 Presidencies. It outlines how India has leveraged its digital identity system, fast payment infrastructure, and consent-based data sharing to enhance access to essential services for over 1.4 billion citizens. The Task Force’s work has set a precedent for other nations, particularly in the Global South, to develop their own digital infrastructures. The report delineates a strategic blueprint for advancing DPI across various sectors and underscores the importance of collaboration between public and private sectors to realise these objectives.

About the Task Force

The Task Force refers to an association of people, formed by the Union Government of India in January 2023, to manage the affairs related to digital public infrastructure for economic transformation, financial inclusion, and development. Headed by Amitabh Kant, the G20 sherpa of India and Nandan Nilekani, the Chairman of Infosys, the Task Force aims at supervising and enabling the achievement of agenda of India’s G20 Presidency as well as priorities on DPI and financial inclusion. It considered the methods by which productivity can be increased by G20 member countries by using innovative digital technology and DPI in different sectors. It also took into consideration how G20 members can promote the digital economic policies and regulations of the government.

Apart from the two co-chairs, the G20 Task Force of India consists of Secretary, Department of Financial Services (DEA); Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Member Coordinator; CEO of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI); Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA); MD of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI); Chief Economic Adviser, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA); Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI); CEO of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog); Secretary, Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology (MeitY) as its members.

About the Report

With the G20 Task Force Report, India seeks for the adoption of DPI on an international level so that productivity can be enhanced as well as sustainable and inclusive growth can be achieved. A multinational organisation is also proposed to be formed to set up global standards. The purpose of this organisation would be to develop the DPI ecosystem in different countries across the globe, particularly Global South countries.

The report is structured into three key sections and collectively outlines a comprehensive strategy for advancing and adopting DPI globally.

Part I introduces the DPI approach as a transformative framework designed to effectively tackle global challenges through innovative technological solutions. It emphasises how DPI can serve as a catalyst for economic and social progress.

Part II mentions how India has facilitated the adoption of DPI globally, particularly in 2023 when it served as the President of G20. In the report, the success of G20 in 2023 is highlighted with the help of its different working groups, such as the Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) of Sherpa Track and the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) under Finance Track. The report also clearly specifies how bilateral and multilateral commitments are optimally and tactically used by India in order to promote the objective of the DPI globally.

Part III highlights the progressive outlook that defines a planned draft for employing DPI in several sectors, both nationally and internationally. Aiming at reinforcing the foundations of DPI on an international level, the report gives a series of recommendations for policy.

The DPI approach is built on three core pillars—shared technology design, robust and participatory governance, and market participation and innovation.

Some Highlights of the Report

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is an emerging framework that leverages technology to achieve societal goals through a public interest ecosystem, integrating technology, markets, and governance. Unlike traditional digital infrastructure, which primarily focuses on connectivity, DPI emphasises shared digital systems that are secure, interoperable, and built on open standards. Under India’s leadership during its G20 Presidency, significant consensus was reached on defining DPI. The G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ Meeting characterised DPI as a set of shared digital utilities that ensure equitable access to services while adhering to legal frameworks that promote development, inclusion, innovation, and respect for human rights.

Some key components of DPI include:

Verifiable identity Essential for accessing digital services, it helps ensure secure user authentication across various platforms.

Interoperable payments systems These systems facilitate seamless financial transactions while protecting sensitive data.

Open networks for e-commerce These platforms promote equitable access and efficiency in online commerce.

Consented data sharing These frameworks empower individuals to control their data and share it across services.

Open application programming interfaces (APIs) for government services This component encourages the formal use of Open APIs in government organisations and enhances accessibility to government functions.

Registries These are machine-readable records that support verification and discoverability in the digital economy.

Electronic signatures (eSign) These technologies streamline document handling and promote efficiency.

DPI in India

India’s DPI is a comprehensive framework designed to enhance digital connectivity and promote inclusive growth.

Some of its major achievements are as follows:

With the help of DPI, an amount of US$ 4.5 billion was transferred into the bank accounts of 160 million beneficiaries at the time of COVID-19 pandemic.
It was because of DPI that around 2.5 million vaccinations were distributed within two years. Besides, the digital certificates for these vaccines were shared on mobiles.
DPI includes the Aadhaar ID system, with the help of which digital ID was provided to approximately 1.3 billion Indians. Besides, Aadhaar has enabled eKYC, with an average of around 10 million per day.
DPI supports unified payment interface (UPI), which is used by approximately 50 million traders and 350 million individuals on a monthly basis. Around 13 billion transactions take place via UPI every month. In addition, the central government is able to save US$ 41 billion owing to the direct transfer facilitated by DPI in all its schemes.
DPI made it possible for 1.4 billion individuals to avail services that are socio-economically important, such as services related to finance, education, taxation, health, e-governance, skills, and other such services.

Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa of India, opined that DPI made it possible for India to achieve in nine years the accomplishments which would have been achieved in 50 years in the absence of DPI. He further said that India has advanced in digitisation by leaps and bounds, and that the greatest number of digital transactions in the world takes place in this country, constituting 46 per cent of total transactions.

Nandan Nilekani, co-chair of the Task Force, said that the governments and businesses of different nations have understood the importance of having DPI in order to attain Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other social goals.

Significance of DPI

Countries around the globe are increasingly recognising the value of DPI as a catalyst for economic transformation, financial inclusion, and overall development as DPI

empowers individuals by enhancing their control over finances and personal data.
enables countries to achieve significant milestones in financial inclusion rapidly, as seen in India, which reached levels that would have taken decades in under ten years.
fosters private investment and innovation by lowering transaction costs and promoting interoperability, exemplified by the growth of fintech companies like PhonePe in India.
improves service accessibility for vulnerable groups, helping to bridge gaps such as gender disparities.
facilitated digital cash transfers and vaccination certificates during the COVID-19 pandemic.
provides cost-effective solution for nations as it operates on a mixed financing model.
allows countries to maintain oversight of critical infrastructure while encouraging innovation and inclusivity.

AI and DPI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised to revolutionise DPI, enhancing its capabilities and efficiency. The integration of AI into DPI creates a new paradigm known as “Digital Public Intelligence,” which enables the interpretation of complex data, forecasting needs, and delivering personalised solutions.

Key benefits of this integration include:

AI can address data availability challenges, particularly in multilingual contexts like India, by enabling language localisation through Natural Language Processing (NLP) models. For instance, Bhashini is an NLP initiative that processes multiple Indian languages, making DPI more inclusive.
AI improves service across sectors such as health, education, agriculture, and finance by analysing large datasets to provide actionable insights and streamline processes.
AI enhances DPI’s security by continuously monitoring for threats and quickly responding to breaches, thereby mitigating risks.
Open-source AI models and tools promote scalability and encourage private sector participation in DPI development.

By embedding principles of privacy preservation, bias mitigation, and algorithmic transparency into DPI, governments can foster trust in AI-enabled services among citizens.

Way Forward

India’s leadership in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) has gained global recognition, particularly during its G20 Presidency. Given DPI’s potential to enhance productivity and foster inclusive growth, it is crucial to initiate discussions aimed at promoting its global adoption.

The following steps outline a comprehensive approach:

Identify interested countries, tailor DPI designs to their needs, secure funding, engage systems integrators for deployment, and implement DPI while conducting impact assessments.
Create comprehensive policy frameworks based on research into global digital infrastructure.
Sign memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with countries to share digital solutions by establishing exclusive agreements for DPI deployment through a bilateral approach and collaborating with multiple nations to jointly offer DPI solutions through a multilateral approach.
Advocate globally for DPI benefits while providing advisory services and policy recommendations, and develop financial plans through partnerships with development banks.
Customise infrastructure deployment while ensuring data security and build capacity through training programs for the workforce.
Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and an index system to assess DPI progress while creating mechanisms for international coordination on DPI efforts.
Support open-source initiatives and reusable technology packages while engaging in global standards-setting for effective DPI specifications.
Establish an annual DPI forum for experience sharing, create a Global South Forum to address specific challenges, and foster engagement through platforms like G20 and UN.
Identify or establish a body to enhance the DPI ecosystem, especially in the Global South, promoting knowledge sharing and resource deployment

Conclusion

The main objective of the report of the Task Force is to nurture the DPI across the world. Moreover, a number of countries are working towards creating their national digital infrastructure so that their economic growth enhances. They are doing so by providing better public services and developing trust between people and the institutions by being more transparent and approachable.

Several industry experts have acknowledged that DPI has served as a building block in enabling the country to face the pandemic with courage and fortitude. The report defines how DPI approach will be adopted in future and what actions will be taken for executing DPI in all parts of the world, especially in the Global South regions.