Nishant Bhaiji
NEW DELHI: The Central Government has set up India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure for Economic Transformation, Financial Inclusion and Development. The country’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant and Infosys Chairman Nandan Nilekani will cochair the task force, according to an order issued by the Ministry of Finance on January 21.
The primary objective of the task force will be to see through India’s priorities and commitments in developing digital public infrastructure (DPIs), digital enabled financial inclusion and promoting digital identity.
It has been given the responsibility of creating a detailed map of India’s digital infrastructure across sectors (finance, health, education, skilling, data, taxation, digital commerce, mobility, and beyond) & shortlist key digital infrastructure to be presented by India within the individual G20 tracks,” the order said.
Oversee priorities
The task force will “oversee and facilitate achieving India’s G20 presidency agenda and priorities on digital public infrastructure, financial inclusion, promoting digital identity, improved and innovative technologybased services including digital payment systems like UPI along with the governance frameworks.” It is also expected to “identify the need for global cooperation towards key shared outcomes (accelerating inclusion in emerging economies, improved targeting of fiscal measures, enhancing competition in the marketplace, protecting individual privacy, and others)”
Task Force members
The task force will comprise Secretaries of the Department of Economic Affairs, Financial Services, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, External Affairs Ministry, Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, CEO of Unique Identification Authority of India, Managing Director of the National Payments Corporation of India and the Chief Economic Adviser.
The task force will also assess the Indian ecosystem’s readiness to support global efforts and propose solutions so that innovations can be taken to other countries in a timely manner, and help frame a strategy to build support for India’s digital public infrastructure within the G20 and other mechanisms.
For countries around the world, COVID-19 demonstrated the need for a strong digital core and the ability to develop it quickly in response to a crisis. India laid the foundation of digital public infrastructure in 2008.
