Co-Develop’s Post

📝 Digital public infrastructure(DPI) 🖊 DPI, or digital public infrastructure, is a shared tool for numerous purposes. It is assisting in the improvement of public service delivery at scale and is a crucial facilitator of the digital transformation. When properly designed and executed, it can expedite the Sustainable Development Goals and assist nations in achieving their respective priorities. It can be shaped by governments, funders, the commercial sector, and civil society. 🖊 India's digital public infrastructure can help developing world: India's digital public infrastructure, with open standards, open API, and interoperability as its fulcrum to facilitate easier adoption, can potentially benefit the developing world, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said Thursday. Sourece: The economic Times News https://lnkd.in/dfQ4_JYr

Digital Public Infrastructure is set up in India as a Public-Private Policy partnership that has become a benchmark for multiple nations, corporations & start-ups across the world says United Nations #digitalpublic #dpg #technology #india https://lnkd.in/g6ra3QaA

By encouraging #collaboration, #innovation, and #sustainable_investment, #Africa can utilize its #undersea_cables to unlock the full potential of a connected continent, promoting #prosperity and equitable #growth for everyone.

ICYMI: Bredec Group Bredec Ecosystem India signs MoU with Colombia on sharing open-sourced digital public infrastructure: ... the facilitation of private sector contacts to mutually benefit the digital ecosystems of both countries. inquiry@bredec.com Inquiry@bredec.com

As India pushes the idea of DPI (digital public infrastructure) globally, a pitch that has been wholeheartedly embraced by multilateral organisations and the global donor community, Smriti Parsheera calls for some caution and a careful understanding of how DPI actually operates and is governed. For Center for the Advanced Study of India's India in Transition, Smriti writes about the need to carefully examine DPI and introduces the idea of an 'Alt Big Tech': "The DPI deployment experience also raises an important second-order question—can such competition-inducing interventions also end up harming competition due to infrastructural monopolies? The discussions that follow draw upon a 2022 paper in which I argued that India’s digital infrastructure choices could point to the emergence of a new “alt big tech.” This term is designed to capture the state-backed monopoly of these infrastructures, their data aggregation advantages, gatekeeping functions, and control over technical standards to be followed by all network participants. Several of these features are reminiscent of the concerns posed by the big tech industry even though the two groups are very different in terms of their business objectives... These concerns are not about private DPI ownership per se but the lack of suitable competition, governance, and accountability safeguards, particularly in light of the new power structures fostered by these monopolies. Rather than assuming the public-spiritedness and pro-competitive outcomes of DPI, these features have to be appropriately demonstrated, in law and practice. The responsibility of thinking through these steps lies upon the implementing domestic agencies but also, in part, on the international organizations and donor community that is fueling the global rush toward DPI." Go read the whole piece: https://lnkd.in/ds8qkgUV

Always a pleasure to collaborate with the good folks at University of Pennsylvania's Center for the Advanced Study of India and their India in Transition publication.  I write about India's #DigitalPublicInfrastructure developments, the first order effects of competition gains though interoperability and the, equally important, second order question of what are we doing about the new power equations generated by these infrastructural monopolies. Are we ready for the emergence of an 'alt big tech'? https://lnkd.in/gf24r2Sh

The inaugural United Nations conference on #DigitalPublicInfrastructure centered on Citizen Stack, showcased the pioneering efforts in integrating technology into citizen services. Global leaders like Dennis Francis, President of the United Nations General Assembly, Achim Steiner, Administrator of UNDP and the Minister for Information Technology of the Government of India, Shri Ashwini Vaishnav convened to examine #DPI’s citizen services and how it is transforming governance and fostering global cooperation for digital infrastructure development. The report also highlighted case studies demonstrating how several components of Citizen Stack, are helping countries such as Ethiopia and the Philippines tailor #DPI to their specific needs and achieve digital sovereignty. Read it here 👉 https://lnkd.in/evGahfEK #DigitalTransformation #CitizenStack #UNConference

Digital Public Infrastructure has the potential to reshape economies and make societies more equitable!!

The recently concluded G20 summit witnessed two important India-led interventions. One emphasises investments in physical infrastructure through the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC). The other emphasises investments in digital public infrastructure (DPI). While IMEC has grabbed more eyeballs, it still seems a sketchy plan compared to the DPI model. The DPI model advanced by India has already found takers in some parts of the Global South. Five years ago, the International Institute of Information Technology in Bengaluru launched the Modular Open Source Identity Platform (MOSIP) to help other countries set up Aadhaar-like systems. More than 10 countries, from Sri Lanka to Sierra Leone, have initiated MOSIP projects so far. After the G20’s endorsement, many more could sign up for it. The adoption of the DPI model could open up new vistas of opportunities for India’s IT sector while raising the country’s profile globally. However, the DPI momentum can sustain only if policymakers take into account both the strengths and weaknesses of India’s own digital infrastructure. There are three key elements of India’s DPI offering that have evinced global interest. First, a digital ID system for citizens that enables authentication of welfare beneficiaries, and helps tackle leakages. Second, an open source software architecture that is designed to avoid dependence on any one technology giant. Third, a fast payment system that can leverage the digital ID system to widen the net of financial inclusion, and catalyse growth. Digitisation is increasingly being seen as a means to save fiscal resources while targeting state spending better. At the same time, digitisation has also raised concerns about the dominance of American Big Tech and Chinese Surveillance Tech. India’s offering of an open digital ecosystem taps into these anxieties. However, the Indian DPI model is not without its share of challenges. The first challenge is the lack of a robust legal framework to protect citizens’ data. The current data protection law offers much weaker protection than was envisaged earlier. The second challenge relates to the coercion and exclusion involved in India’s DPI model. Aadhaar was supposed to be an enabler. Making it mandatory has hurt some of India’s most deprived regions, where data connectivity remains poor and authentication failures are common. The third challenge relates to the risk of overselling the impact of India’s DPI model. While there is no doubt that India’s progress on digital and financial inclusion has been impressive, there are several other countries with an even more impressive record. Instead of dismissing critics, policymakers need to engage with them and address the chinks in the DPI model to make it a successful export. Fixing these gaps will help Indian citizens, and offer a more robust model for the rest of the world. Full article: https://lnkd.in/gssc2e9k

India’s digital public infrastructure have seen significant evolution in the recent years, particularly with the advent of digital technology and increased internet connectivity. Digital public infrastructure refer to digital products, services, and applications that are created and maintained for public use, with the goal of increasing access and improving outcomes for citizens. The development of digital public goods in India has had a significant impact on the economy, particularly in terms of increasing access to information and services, improving government efficiency and transparency, and fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.