"Digital Public Infrastructure is powerful mechanism for inclusion...," says Rajeev Chandrasekhar

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday said that Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is a powerful mechanism for inclusion, especially for countries in the global south.

Addressing the media on the significant outcomes of the Digital Economy Ministers' meeting, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, "DPIs, for the first time ever, reached a global consensus and what ought to be their definition, framework, and principles. This is an exciting conversation that has gained momentum in the context of the G20. India is now a case study, as a nation that employed and deployed technological tools for progress and growth."

"Countries that have lagged behind increasingly see this as a way to follow India's lead in DPIs, an open-source digital infrastructure, and use it to create the same impact that India has. Through these G20 conversations, we have further understood how DPIs are a powerful mechanism for inclusion, especially for countries in the global south," the Minister added.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the consensus between nations focused broadly on three key areas – Digital Public Infrastructure, Cybersecurity and Digital Skills.

India has entered into eight Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with countries such as Armenia, Sierra Leone, Suriname, Antigua, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Papua New Guinea, and Mauritius, offering them the India Stack and DPI at no cost and with open-source access. These nations now have the opportunity to adopt and utilize these resources within their borders, further developing their unique innovation ecosystems.

Apart from DPIs, the Union minister spoke about how nations have prioritized cybersecurity as well, emphasizing its importance for a fast-paced growing economy.

"On cybersecurity, the