India’s proactive stance in adopting the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) has been instrumental in driving the growth of its Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector. The DPI, a digital network that connects citizens with essential social services such as UPI and Fastag, has fostered entrepreneurship and self-employment opportunities at relatively lower capital costs. Currently, India boasts over 6.30 crore enterprises within this vibrant economic sector.
In April 2024, India’s Permanent Mission and IT Ministry, in collaboration with iSPIRT, hosted the United Nations’ First International Conference on DPI. This conference showcased India’s pioneering Citizen Stack initiative, which demonstrated the country’s successful integration of technology into citizen services. Jocata, an Indian technology startup, was the sole venture presented at the inaugural conference. The company partnered with SIDBI to create India’s first and only Monthly Index on economic activity, called ‘Jocata Sumpoorn.’ This index garnered praise at the UN conference for its innovative use of digitally accessible sales data from GST.
Jocata CEO Prashant Muddu, speaking at the conference, described the monthly index as a ‘public good built on private infrastructure to promote the MSME credit ecosystem in India.’ He expressed pride in India’s leadership in DPI implementation and emphasized the potential for other countries to emulate India’s success by identifying their own pillars of digital infrastructure and tailoring their journey based on similar principles.
The conference also highlighted the crucial role of public-private policy partnerships in driving innovation, with contributions from startups, global MNCs, and academics. India’s position as a benchmark in DPI implementation was underscored during the discussions. Case studies were presented demonstrating how components of Citizen Stack, such as the Modular Open Source Identity Platform, are assisting countries like Ethiopia and the Philippines in adapting DPI to their specific needs and achieving digital sovereignty.
India’s leadership in DPI was further affirmed by the participation of high-ranking officials at the conference, including Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ruchira Kamboj, UNGA President Dennis Francis, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme Achim Steiner, India’s IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant. The conference provided a platform for sharing knowledge and best practices, reinforcing India’s commitment to harnessing DPI to propel global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and foster inclusivity.