Developing nations to replicate India’s digital public infrastructure initiatives

At the G20 Sherpa meeting, India’s digital public infrastructure initiatives such as Aadhaar, unique payment infrastructure, and direct benefit transfer were praised by several members, who emphasized the need to replicate the model in other developing countries, according to G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant. 

Kant highlighted the digital initiatives taken in the healthcare sector, including the Cowin app for implementing the Covid vaccination drive and the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which has extended health insurance coverage to 500 million people, at the first meeting of Sherpa under India’s G20 presidency.

Kant stated that India’s presentation at the G20 Sherpa meeting focused on the technological transformation and digital public infrastructure that has been established in the country over the recent past. He also pointed out that almost 55% of the bank accounts opened between 2015-18 across the world were in India, bringing 460 million people into the banking system and transferring benefits of over 600 government schemes straight into the bank accounts.

However, Kant also flagged the global debt crisis, rising inflation, and slowdown as key challenges before the G20, emphasizing the prime minister’s call for India to be the voice of the Global South. He said without peace and harmony, economic growth would not be able to bounce back, and the issue of climate finance was also figured in the Sherpa talks and would be discussed in detail in the finance track of the G20. 

Kant stated that India’s Sherpa track priorities, finance track priorities, and engagement group priorities would all converge and integrate towards India’s interest.

Source: Business Standard