India’s DPI Achieving Global Scale but Faces “Last Mile” Hurdles, Says CEA Nageswaran

New Delhi: Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran on Friday said India's digital public infrastructure (DPI) has achieved world-class scale, but challenges relating to digital access, data governance, interoperability and cyber security remain areas of concern.

“Large sections of the population, particularly the elderly, people living in areas with poor connectivity and those with low literacy and limited digital fluency, still face barriers in accessing digital services. The last great challenge of ensuring that those who most need services are also those who can most easily access them through digital means, that remains an ongoing effort,” Nageswaran said in an event here.

He also said that legislative and institutional framework in the area of data sharing and digital records is still evolving. “Interoperability of DPI across states remains a work in progress and although the Union government systems are increasingly well integrated, the quality and completeness of state-level digital infrastructure varies considerably,” he said.

“Since a significant portion of service delivery in health, education, land records and local welfare schemes happens at the state level, the quality of citizen experience is often determined more by state capacity than by central infrastructure,” the CEA said.

With regard to cybersecurity, he also said that the security pillar requires sustained institutional attention as sophistication of threats evolves continuously. “India has built over a relatively short period a digital public infrastructure that is generally world-class in scale, design and operational reach. It has demonstrably improved the inclusion, efficiency and security of welfare measures,” he said.