India Strengthens Global Digital Cooperation Through Digital Public Infrastructure Partnerships With 24 Countries

Key Highlights:

• India has signed MoUs with 24 countries to strengthen global digital cooperation and share successful population-scale digital solutions.
• The G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration recognized Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as a development accelerator for economic growth.
• India is assisting countries like Kenya and Cuba in implementing DigiLocker and exploring other solutions like e-Sanjeevani, e-Office, and e-Hospital.
• The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is linked with payment systems in several countries for Person-to-Person (P2P) and Person-to-Merchant (P2M) transactions.
• The Social Impact Fund (SIF) has been approved to provide financial and technical assistance for DPI pilot implementation in the Global South.

Detailed Insights:

• India's vision extends beyond domestic digital transformation to building a globally connected, trusted, and inclusive digital ecosystem.
• The MoUs provide a framework for capacity building, knowledge exchange, joint workshops, and feasibility assessments for digital solutions.
• Virtual consultations and technical workshops showcase India Stack and other digital solutions to partner countries.
• The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme facilitates courses on DPI for foreign delegations.
• Indian institutions like UIDAI, NeGD, NPCI, NIC, and C-DAC engage with foreign delegations for study visits and technical interactions.
• The SIF is a government-led, multi-stakeholder initiative specifically targeting Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) in the Global South.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI): Open, interoperable digital platforms that enable public service delivery, financial inclusion, and innovation.
• India Stack: A set of open APIs and digital public goods that allow governments, businesses, startups, and developers to utilize a unique digital infrastructure.
• Unified Payments Interface (UPI): An instant real-time payment system developed by NPCI facilitating inter-bank peer-to-peer and person-to-merchant transactions.
• DigiLocker: A flagship initiative under Digital India that provides a secure cloud-based platform for issuance and verification of documents and certificates.
• Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme: A bilateral assistance program by the Government of India providing training and capacity building to developing countries.
• Social Impact Fund (SIF): A fund approved by the Indian government to support DPI implementation in the Global South through financial and technical aid.