Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasized India's commitment to fostering inclusive growth through Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) while addressing the inaugural conference on 'Citizen Stack'. Vaishnaw outlined India's journey in leveraging DPI to ensure the benefits of the digital revolution reach every segment of society. He highlighted the collaborative effort involving the government, private sector, non-profit organizations, and volunteers in building India Stack, a suite of digital tools accessible to all citizens. Vaishnaw's remarks were made in a video address to the First Conference at the United Nations on 'Citizen Stack', jointly organized by the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant underscored the significance of DPI in driving equitable development in a post-COVID world marked by various challenges. Kant emphasized that DPI enables vulnerable groups, remote populations, women, and small and medium enterprises to access services and technologically leapfrog. He stressed the importance of DPI for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and urged nations to develop their own digital infrastructure tailored to their unique needs and principles.
India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj lauded India Stack as a pioneering force in building digital public infrastructure, which has facilitated significant achievements in financial inclusion within a short period. She cited India's success as a model for other nations embarking on digital transformations, emphasizing the importance of shared building blocks to foster innovation across ecosystems.
Sharad Sharma, co-founder of think tank iSPIRT, highlighted the five DPI Sutras for a thriving ecosystem, including citizen's agency and privacy, interoperability, techno-legal regulation, bypassing corporatization and private monopoly, and safeguarding against weaponization. Sharma emphasized the importance of community engagement and collaboration among early adopters to preserve the integrity of the digital revolution and accelerate progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
