Sansad TV: India’s Leadership in Digital Public Goods | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Introduction

India’s digital infrastructure has not only transformed the country, but it has also captured the attention of other nations.

Digital Public Goods

• Digital Public Goods (DPGs) are open-source software, open data, open AI models, open standards and open content that abide by privacy laws and best practices, promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and do not cause harm by design.
• The open format of DPGs enables countries to adopt and adapt them at no cost, which promotes digital sovereignty and cost savings.

India’s Advancements

• India is a pioneer in developing digital public goods that improve the speed, transparency, and ease of interactions between individuals, markets, and governments. Based on Aadhaar and India Stack, modular applications are revolutionizing various activities, such as making payments (UPI revolution), accessing passports, driving licenses, and land records. 
• Additionally, children have access to QR-coded textbooks across states and languages, the disadvantaged can access public distribution systems, and government scheme beneficiaries can receive direct bank transfers. India has the potential to use digital diplomacy to promote its made-in-India digital public goods to emerging economies worldwide, which could be a counter to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). However, India needs to overhaul its technological, startup, and innovation ecosystem.

Opportunity for Digital Diplomacy

• India could capitalize on the opportunity to use digital diplomacy to take its digital public goods to developing nations around the world, which could be an effective response to China's BRI. However, to do this, India must address the shortcomings in its innovation, startup, and technological ecosystems.

Benefits

• Adoptable: Governments and agencies can freely adopt digital public goods;
• Variety: Users are not restricted to a single technology;
• Scalable: Digital public goods that have been successfully implemented can be scaled, saving time and money in testing and rollout;
• Adaptable: They can be modified to cater to local issues, fostering long-term ownership over the technology;
• Collaborative: Collaboration between users of a digital public good is easy;
• Sustainable: Digital public goods are future-proof as open-source communities can support adaptations and iterations in countries;
• Transparent: The code for open-source solutions can be audited, ensuring transparent and accountable use of technology.

Impediments

• Privacy Issues: Potential privacy violations and data weaponization are primary issues related to digital initiatives;
• Digital Divide: Success in digital service provision depends on factors such as digital literacy, education, and access to fast and stable telecommunication services. Undertaking large-scale digitization without bridging these gaps could increase existing inequalities;
• Security Issues: There is a cybersecurity challenge in ensuring end-to-end protection of data throughout the ecosystem, as some players may not have the expertise or security to prevent and respond to breaches;
• Unserved Remote Areas: Digital services are not uniformly distributed, and communities in remote areas often require on-ground staff to deploy and supplement digital tools.

Conclusion

To effectively address social issues, it is important to identify them clearly and tailor digital public goods to meet specific needs, as a universal approach may not always be effective for everyone. India's digital diplomacy can have a positive impact on emerging economies worldwide, ranging from Peru to Polynesia, Uruguay to Uganda, and Kenya to Kazakhstan. This can involve exporting India's digital public goods and elevating its reputation as a major player in the technology field, while providing significant benefits for its partner countries and earning India goodwill in return.