The United States, Japan and South Korea recently announced the launch of the Digital Infrastructure Growth Initiative for India Framework (DiGi Framework).
About DiGi Framework
- Partner country: United States, Japan, and South Korea.
- Aim: To strengthen digital infrastructure in India through collaboration with the Indian private sector.
- The framework focuses on high-quality, sustainable development in digital infrastructure to support strategic projects.
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Areas of Support
- The framework targets projects in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) including:
- 5G Networks
- Open RAN (Radio Access Network)
- Submarine Cables and Optical Fiber Networks
- Telecom Towers and Data Centers
- Smart City Infrastructure
- E-commerce, AI, and Quantum Technology
Significance for the Indo-Pacific Region
- Supports U.S.-Japan-Republic of Korea trilateral summit goals and strengthens cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Aligns with the economic and diplomatic agendas of the U.S., Japan, and Korea, fostering development in line with regional priorities.
About Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)
- DPI refers to the digital platforms and systems that enable the delivery of public services, such as identification, payments, health, education, and governance.
- It can be understood as an intermediate layer in the digital ecosystem.
- It sits atop a physical layer (including connectivity, devices, servers, data centres, routers, etc.), and supports an apps layer (information solutions to different verticals, e-commerce, cash transfers, remote education, telehealth, etc.).
- DPI can help solve global challenges such as poverty reduction, climate resilience, and digital transformation by improving the efficiency, transparency, inclusion, and innovation of public service delivery.
- Three Pillars of DPI– DPI has 3 broad objectives- identity, payments and data management.
- India, through its India Stack Platform, has become the first country to develop all the three foundational pillars of DPI.
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Categories of DPI
- DPIs can be broadly grouped into two categories:
- Foundational DPIs: Aadhaar, UPI, and Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA) are developed to create robust digital rails and span the domains of digital identity systems and payment infrastructure, and data exchange platforms.
- Sectoral DPIs: It provides specialised services tailored to the needs of specific sectors.
- Examples include the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, which is the rails for the provision of universal health coverage.
- A notable DPI success story is the CoWIN platform, which utilized Aadhaar-based authentication to facilitate the administration of more than 2.2 billion Covid-19 vaccines.
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in India
- Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in India is a set of digital systems and services that support the digital economy and society.
- DPIs are created by the public sector and are available to users and developers.
- They can be used to deliver public services like education, healthcare, payments, identification, and governance.
- Some examples of DPIs in India include:
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- Aadhaar: A digital identity system that allows users to verify and manage their identities online
- UPI: A digital payment system that has revolutionised the payment landscape
- CoWIN: A platform that has helped to deliver services
- DigiLocker: A data infrastructure system that allows users to store documents like insurance, PAN cards, passports, and more in digital format
G20 Framework for Systems of DPI
- The G20 Framework for Systems of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is a voluntary framework that outlines how to create, implement, and govern DPI.
key principles
- Interoperability: DPIs should be designed to be interoperable so that different systems and institutions can interact with them.
- Open standards: The framework emphasizes the need for open software, open standards, and open application programming interfaces (APIs).
- Governance: The framework calls for legal regulation of DPI through new legislation or subordinate legislation.
- Market participation: The framework emphasizes the involvement of market participants in the development and deployment of DPIs.
- Public benefit: The framework calls for maximizing public benefit, trust, and transparency while respecting applicable legal frameworks.
Initiatives under framework
- Global Digital Public Infrastructure Repository: A virtual repository where G20 members and others can voluntarily contribute their open-source technologies.
- One Future Alliance (OFA): A voluntary initiative to build capacity and provide technical assistance and funding support for implementing DPI in low- and middle-income countries.
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Impact on India
- Boost to Private Investment: Facilitates private sector involvement in India’s digital infrastructure development.
- Enhanced Digital Ecosystem: Expected to improve India’s ICT capacity, fostering smart cities, AI, and e-commerce growth.
- Strategic Partnership: Reinforces India’s geopolitical and economic partnerships with the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, promoting shared development goals.
October 28, 2024
