G20 Summit: India has offered to host global repository of digital public infrastructure: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Rajeev Chandrasekhar

India has volunteered to the G20 nations to host a global repository of digital public infrastructure (DPI), which was one of the three focus areas of the digital working group of the bloc during the country's presidency that is set to culminate in a summit this week in Delhi, according to Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

Days before world leaders descend to the Indian capital city to talk about the global economy, climate action and digital technology, among other things, the minister declared that the G20 has made significant strides in arriving at the same page on matters like DPI, cybersecurity and digital skilling.

Chandrasekhar told reporters that eight countries have signed MoUs with India for help in integrating and innovating on digital public infrastructure like Aadhaar, UPI, Digilocker and others.

"The G20 nationals also discussed about financing the development of DPIs in the global south... Several multilateral organisations are interested in making sure that digitisations happens in the global south," he said.

"Over several rounds of digital economy meetings, there has been consensus around DPI, cybersecurity and digital skills... On digital skilling, India's focus on creating digital skills has resonated with the G20 members. There will be collaborations with partners to digitally skill the youth," he added.

The Group of Twenty (G20) is a premier international forum made up of the world's 20 largest economies. It was established in 1999 to shape and strengthen global architecture and governance on major international economic issues.

The G20 meets annually at the heads of state and government level to discuss and agree on global issues. While it initially focused largely on broad macroeconomic issues, it has expanded its agenda over time to include trade, sustainable development, health, agriculture, energy, environment, climate change, and anti-corruption.

The G20 summit will take place on September 9 and 10 in the New Delhi area, which will be out of bounds for the general public from the night of September 7.