India’s G20 sherpa, Amitabh Kant, made a bold declaration at the ‘We Made in India’ event, emphasising that the future of global innovation and progress will not be dictated by big technology corporations, but rather by the transformative potential of locally developed digital public infrastructure (DPI) platforms.
During his speech he also highlighted that India is committed to share its DPI model with the rest of the world and cited numerous instances where other nations expressed their interest in adopting similar frameworks. This shows a big change from the usual story which is controlled by big companies of the Silicon Valley and indicates that the digital world is becoming more fair, inclusive as well as diversified.
India’s DPI framework is built around key components like Aadhaar for digital identity, UPI for quick and real-time payments, and new services like account aggregation. These elements were presented prominently during India’s presidency of the G-20 last year, and showed how India is moving forward in digital infrastructure development.
Kant underscored the global acceptance of India’s DPI framework during the G-20 summit, highlighting the acknowledgment of its definition and operational framework by participating nations. This shows that India’s strategic approach is working well and proves that DPI can help everyone grow together and give power to people worldwide through digital tools.
As the world acknowledges the limitations and concerns associated with big tech companies, India’s DPI looks like a good viable alternative that offers a more decentralized and community-driven approach to digital innovation. By leveraging its expertise and experience, India is poised to emerge as a key catalyst in shaping the future of digital governance and technology adoption worldwide.
Kant words urge us to change how we think about technology worldwide. He wants everyone to have a say and for countries to control their own digital future using strong and fair systems like India’s DPI. He stressed that while ‘big tech’ typically refers to global giants such as Apple, Google’s parent company Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta, the future trajectory of technological advancement will be steered by DPI platforms.
Kant reiterated India’s commitment to sharing its DPI model with the world, emphasising the plethora of opportunities it presents for the country’s entrepreneurs. He emphasized the need to leverage these opportunities effectively to propel India’s growth story forward until 2047, envisioning DPI becoming synonymous with global digital infrastructure.
Furthermore, Kant urged domestic insurance companies, pension funds, and high net worth individuals (HNIs) to actively participate in India’s startup ecosystem. He also made a comparison with Silicon Valley system to something similar and showed how investors who are willing to wait have been really important in making it grow.
At present, a major portion of funding for Indian startups is coming from international sources, this definitely indicates that we need a greater domestic investment. Kant emphasised the imperative for Indian stakeholders to take risks and invest in the country’s startup movement to stimulate its growth.
Highlighting the importance of the deep tech sector, Kant advocated for the establishment of a fund of funds to support venture capital investment in relevant startups. He stressed the sector’s significance in shaping the future and underscored the need for robust corporate governance and a culture of self-regulation among startups.
Expressing concerns Kant said that too many rules from the Government might stop new ideas from coming up. He said we should find a balance between all, because new ideas can move faster than the government can make rules. While many are of the view that India should focus on services to grow its economy, Kant thinks we should pay more attention on manufacturing. He praised the Modi’s Government Make in India plan, saying it could potentially help create more jobs and make India’s economy stronger.
