Pune: India is emerging as a global example of how population-scale digital infrastructure can complement traditional physical infrastructure and expand access to public services, Union Minister of State for Communications Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said on Thursday.
Addressing a BRICS ICT Track thematic panel in Pune on sustainable and resilient digital ecosystems, Pemmasani said India had built open and interoperable digital platforms spanning identity, banking, payments, digital documents and consent-based data. He said these digital rails allow governments, banks and fintech companies to build services at scale while improving accessibility and reducing costs.
Highlighting key components of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), the minister cited UPI, Direct Benefit Transfer, DigiLocker, ONDC, Government e-Marketplace and the Account Aggregator framework. He said UPI has connected 720 banks, accounts for around 85 per cent of India’s digital transactions and contributes nearly 49 per cent of global real-time payment volumes, while expanding its presence across partner countries.
Pemmasani also highlighted the expansion of India’s telecom infrastructure, noting that 4G coverage has reached nearly 99 per cent of villages and more than 500,000 5G base stations have been deployed. He said BharatNet was expanding high-speed optical fibre connectivity across villages, while the telecom sector was also increasing its use of renewable energy. Calling DPI an essential requirement for sustainable development in the Global South, he urged BRICS countries to cooperate on open-source digital technologies, capacity building and greater representation in global ICT standard-setting.