Digital Public Infrastructure can help in climate adaptation, mitigation: Nandan Nilekani
Speaking at the B20 Summit India organized by CII, Nandan Nilekani, Chairman and Co-Founder of Infosys and the founding Chairman of UIDAI, highlighted the global significance of the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) approach. He emphasized that this approach, which has gained widespread recognition, holds the potential to address climate adaptation and mitigation challenges in the future.
Nilekani underscored the adaptability of the DPI framework beyond its initial digital inclusion objectives. He indicated that this model, which has played a crucial role in accelerating inclusion within India, can also be leveraged to tackle climate-related issues. The DPI approach’s participatory nature, which strikes a balance between responsible regulation and innovation, serves as an exemplar of how India has managed to harmonize these elements.
By showcasing India’s achievements in the realm of digital public infrastructure, Nilekani demonstrated the country’s ability to strike a synergy between promoting innovation and ensuring that regulations are responsible. This approach has not only enabled India’s digital transformation but has also positioned the nation to make contributions in areas of broader global concern, such as climate adaptation and mitigation.
In essence, Nilekani’s remarks shed light on how India’s experience with digital public infrastructure can serve as a model for innovative and balanced solutions in various domains, including those pertaining to critical challenges like climate change.
Nandan Nilekani highlighted the growing global recognition of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) during his speech. He mentioned that there is a significant initiative underway to extend this successful model to 50 countries within a span of five years. This expansion plan signifies the influence and effectiveness of India’s DPI approach, which has garnered attention and interest beyond the nation’s borders.
The movement to export this model to other countries is a testament to the scalability, relevance, and impact of India’s digital infrastructure strategy. By sharing its best practices and experiences, India can contribute to enhancing digital inclusion, innovation, and responsible regulation on a global scale.
Nilekani’s statement underscores the potential for India’s DPI framework to serve as a transformative blueprint for digital empowerment and growth in various countries. As nations seek ways to address their unique challenges and bridge digital divides, adopting successful models like India’s DPI can pave the way for positive changes in societies worldwide.
Nandan Nilekani emphasized the growing international recognition of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) during his statement. He highlighted that a significant effort is underway to extend this successful model to 50 countries within a span of five years. This development underscores the influential nature and effectiveness of India’s DPI approach, which has garnered attention and interest beyond the nation’s borders.
The initiative to export this model to other countries signifies the scalability, relevance, and impact of India’s digital infrastructure strategy. By sharing its best practices and experiences, India can contribute to enhancing digital inclusion, innovation, and responsible regulation on a global scale.
Nilekani’s assertion highlights the potential for India’s DPI framework to serve as a transformative blueprint for digital empowerment and growth in various countries. As nations seek ways to address their unique challenges and bridge digital divides, adopting successful models like India’s DPI can pave the way for positive changes in societies worldwide. This endeavor has the potential to reshape digital landscapes and contribute to the progress of multiple nations over the coming years.
Nandan Nilekani emphasized that the approach of digital public infrastructure (DPI) holds the potential to contribute to climate adaptation and mitigation efforts. He illustrated this by suggesting that anticipatory financing for building more resilient homes in preparation for challenges like rising sea levels could be facilitated through DPI or the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). ONDC is another innovation that aims to create an open network for commerce, fostering a circular economy by promoting recycling and reuse of goods.
Nilekani highlighted the enduring relevance of DPI, noting that its utility extends beyond its current achievements to encompass future challenges, particularly in the context of climate change adaptation.
He pointed out that the establishment of digital public infrastructure poses a challenge for societies. Other countries are grappling with the issue of balancing regulation and innovation, a balance that India has successfully managed. While the United States, renowned for its innovation, is now seeking ways to incorporate effective regulation, Europe faces a situation where regulations are abundant, but a shortage of innovators hinders progress.
Nilekani’s insights emphasize the transformative potential of DPI not only in addressing immediate challenges but also in contributing to a more sustainable and adaptive future. India’s approach offers lessons and opportunities for other nations to strike a harmonious balance between regulation and innovation for the betterment of society and the environment.
Nandan Nilekani underscored India’s unique approach to balancing regulation and innovation, highlighting the effectiveness of the participatory model of coordinated governance. He explained that this model involves collaboration between various stakeholders, including the central government, regulatory bodies like the Reserve Bank, technology companies, and the private sector. Together, they have established an architecture that strikes a harmonious balance between fostering innovation and ensuring responsible regulation.
Nilekani emphasized that this approach ensures that innovation flourishes while operating within a framework of well-defined boundaries. This way, the benefits of progress are reaped without compromising on ethical and regulatory considerations.
He further accentuated that India’s transformation is multifaceted, with digital transformation standing at the core of its economic growth. The collaborative approach has enabled India to leverage its digital infrastructure for inclusive development, economic progress, and social empowerment.
In essence, Nilekani’s remarks showcase India’s successful journey in nurturing innovation within a regulated environment. This approach, characterized by collaborative governance, has not only driven digital transformation but also positioned India as a leading example of achieving a harmonious equilibrium between innovation and regulation.
Nandan Nilekani articulated India’s transformative journey from disparate, offline micro-economies to a singular, online, and formal mega-economy marked by increased productivity. This ongoing transformation, he noted, is a trajectory set to unfold over the next two decades, with noticeable progress occurring each year.
He attributed this profound change to a fresh approach in addressing societal challenges through the lens of digital public infrastructure. This infrastructure, Nilekani explained, has significantly amplified India’s capacity to utilize digital technology on a large scale, precipitating a societal transformation. This framework comprises a series of building blocks, each serving a specific purpose, while simultaneously maintaining interoperability. This synergy among the building blocks generates solutions that have an impact at the population level.
Nilekani cited notable successes like Aadhaar and UPI to exemplify India’s achievements in this sphere. He underlined the acceleration of financial inclusion achieved in just nine years, which would have otherwise taken nearly five decades through conventional methods. UPI, he highlighted, evolved from processing 100,000 transactions a month in October 2016 to becoming the world’s largest payment system with billions of transactions monthly and millions of users and merchants.
Moreover, Nilekani highlighted India’s data empowerment architecture, which allows every individual and business to leverage their digital footprint, creating a concept of “digital capital.” He asserted that the combination of digital capital and DPI is heralding a new era characterized by inclusivity—an inclusive society being fostered by this synergistic blend.
In summary, Nilekani’s insights underscore the monumental change underway in India’s economic landscape due to the strategic deployment of digital public infrastructure. This approach, highlighted by its integration of various building blocks and innovative solutions, serves as a powerful catalyst for inclusive growth and societal transformation.
