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Why in News: As of March 2026, India has generated 144+ crore Aadhaar numbers, opened 57.71 crore PMJDY accounts (up from 14.72 crore by March 2015 — six months after launch), and signed Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) cooperation MoUs with 24 countries. The IMF (April 2026 working paper) called India a “leading example of digital infrastructure.” This Sunday feature examines India’s DPI as a soft-power instrument.

About DPI (Digital Public Infrastructure)

Parameter Detail
Definition Foundational, shared digital infrastructure — identity, payments, data exchange — for population-scale solutions
Coined Term gained global currency at the G20 New Delhi Summit, 2023
Indian usage Often called “India Stack”

JAM Trinity

Layer Component Anchor
J Jan Dhan (PMJDY) August 28, 2014 — financial inclusion
A Aadhaar (UIDAI) 2009; statutory under Aadhaar Act, 2016
M Mobile PM-WANI etc. — connectivity

The JAM Trinity forms the backbone of welfare delivery and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

India Stack Layers

Layer Platform Anchor / Scale
Identity Aadhaar (UIDAI) 144+ crore enrolments (March 2026)
Payments UPI (NPCI, launched April 11, 2016) 18+ billion monthly transactions (early 2026)
Data exchange DigiLocker; Account Aggregator framework (RBI 2021) Consent-based data sharing
Commerce ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) Launched April 2022
Agriculture AgriStack Under development
Health Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) — September 27, 2021 70+ crore ABHA (Health) IDs
Education DIKSHA; Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) NEP 2020-linked

DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) Impact

Indicator Value
Cumulative DBT since 2014 ₹40+ lakh crore
Estimated annual leakage savings ~₹3.5 lakh crore
Schemes using DBT (as of 2024) 314

G20 Recognition

  • New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration (September 9, 2023) explicitly endorsed DPI.
  • DPI framed as a development accelerator.
  • GPFI DPI Framework finalised under India’s G20 Presidency.

DPI Cooperation Partners (24 Countries)

Illustrative — not exhaustive:

  • Asia: Sri Lanka, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Papua New Guinea
  • Africa: Mauritius, Mozambique, Egypt
  • Americas: Antigua & Barbuda, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname
  • Europe: France, UK, Armenia
  • Open-source spine: MOSIP — Modular Open Source Identity Platform — anchored at IIIT Bangalore

IMF and World Bank Endorsement

  • April 2026 IMF Working Paper called India a “leading example of digital infrastructure.”
  • World Bank has credited Digital-ID-based DBT with measurable poverty-reduction outcomes.

DPI 2.0 — CEA Roadmap

Vector Detail
Decentralisation State-led pilots
MSME credit Cash-flow lending via Account Aggregator
Agriculture AgriStack roll-out
Cross-border UPI–PIX (Brazil)–FedNow (US) interoperability sandboxes

UPI Internationalisation

Corridor Status
UPI–PayNow (Singapore) Live since February 2023
UAE, France, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan Operational
ASEAN, Africa 2024–26 expansion

DPI as Counter to China’s BRI

  • China’s Digital Silk Road (DSR) is a component of the Belt and Road Initiative.
  • India offers an open-source, vendor-neutral alternative through MOSIP, UPI, and Aadhaar-style stacks.
  • Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific are key contestation zones.

Privacy and Rights Debates

Issue Detail
DPDP Act 2023 Notified August 2023; rules in draft (January 2025)
Aadhaar–Voter ID linkage Debate post-Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021
Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v UoI (2017) Right to privacy is a fundamental right under Article 21
Aadhaar mandatory linkage Continuing debates — PAN, bank accounts

Way Forward

  1. Codify a formal DPI Cooperation Framework under the MEA.
  2. Sandbox for cross-border UPI–PIX–FedNow interoperability.
  3. Finalise and notify DPDP Rules.
  4. Sovereign LLM under the IndiaAI Mission compute stack.
  5. Scale health-data exchange under ABDM.

UPSC Relevance

  • GS Paper 2 — Governance, international institutions, India and the world.
  • GS Paper 3 — Economy, financial inclusion, Science & Technology, indigenous innovation.
  • GS Paper 4 — Ethics: data protection, privacy, consent.
  • Essay — “Digital sovereignty: India’s stack as a public good for the Global South.”

Facts Corner

  • Aadhaar issued (March 2026): 144+ crore
  • Aadhaar Act: passed March 2016
  • UIDAI: established 2009; statutory body since 2016
  • PMJDY: launched August 28, 2014; 57.71 crore accounts (March 2026) — up from 14.72 crore by March 2015
  • UPI: launched April 11, 2016 by NPCI
  • UPI: 18+ billion monthly transactions (early 2026)
  • DigiLocker: launched July 1, 2015 under Digital India
  • ONDC: launched April 2022; under DPIIT
  • ABDM: launched September 27, 2021
  • DPI MoU partner countries: 24
  • G20 New Delhi Declaration: September 9, 2023 (recognised DPI)
  • DPDP Act: August 11, 2023
  • JAM Trinity: Jan Dhan + Aadhaar + Mobile
  • DBT cumulative since 2014: ₹40+ lakh crore
  • MOSIP: Modular Open Source Identity Platform (IIIT Bangalore)
  • Justice Puttaswamy v UoI (2017): right to privacy is a fundamental right
  • GPAI: India joined 2020, chaired 2024

Sources: UIDAI, NPCI, PIB

Source: India's Digital Public Infrastructure Crosses 144 Crore Aadhaar Mark — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs