Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is a concept representing a set of open, interoperable, and scalable digital systems that enable citizens, businesses, and governments to access services efficiently. The G20 Digital Economy Ministers defined DPI as "a set of shared digital systems that are secure and interoperable, built on open standards, to deliver equitable access to public and/or private services at societal scale". It is analogous to physical infrastructure like roads or power grids.
The origin of India's DPI began with the "platform thinking" of the 2010s, evolving from earlier siloed e-government projects. The foundational step was the creation of Aadhaar, the unique digital identity system, which was launched in 2010. The problem it solved was the lack of a definitive proof of identity for India's vast population, which was essential for financial inclusion and service delivery.
India's implementation, collectively known as the India Stack, works by providing three core layers: Digital Identity, Digital Payments, and Data Exchange. These systems are designed to be interoperable through open APIs (Application Programming Interface). Key components include Aadhaar for digital identity, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for real-time payments, and DigiLocker for secure document storage.
DPI connects to several related concepts and institutions, such as the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, which uses Aadhaar to reduce corruption and leakage in welfare payments. The Account Aggregator framework is a key component for consent-based data sharing. While the core components like Aadhaar (since 2010) and UPI have remained, the DPI has recently expanded its scope with new platforms like CoWIN for health and the National Health Stack, demonstrating an evolution rather than a replacement. India's DPI model is now being adopted by other nations, including Armenia, Sierra Leone, and Suriname.