DPI’s next challenge is delivering public value: Experts at IIIT-B workshop

As India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) ecosystem expands beyond identity, payments, and data exchange, policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders are increasingly focusing on how these systems translate into measurable outcomes in sectors such as healthcare, finance, education, and governance.

This shift formed the central theme of a workshop titled ‘Scaling DPI: From Identity to Actionable Data’ hosted by the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIIT-B) on Friday.

Co-chaired by S. Rajagopalan, a professor at IIIT-B and Ganesh Mani, adjunct faculty, Carnegie Mellon University, the workshop explored how DPI is evolving from building foundational digital systems to creating broader impact on social life and economic value.

Addressing participants, Deepika Mogilishetty, Chief Policy and Partnerships, EkStep Foundation, reflected on the evolution of India’s digital stack through the lens of inclusion and public value. Drawing lessons from initiatives such as Aadhaar and Open Network for Digital Commerce, she argued that digital infrastructure should ultimately be measured by the opportunities it creates rather than the number of transactions it processes.

“The price of invisibility is not abstract. It’s in time, it’s in dignity, and it’s very often in life,” she said, highlighting the role of digital systems in improving access to public services, financial opportunities, and welfare benefits.

Prof. Rajagopalan noted that after demonstrating its ability to operate at scale, DPI is now entering a phase where the focus is on understanding outcomes, responsible data use, and long-term public value creation.

Echoing this sentiment, Prof. Mani stressed the importance of collaboration across the ecosystem. “The next phase of DPI will be shaped not only by technology, but by sustained collaboration between industries, academia, and other stakeholders,” he said.

The workshop hosted discussions and debates on various topics, including healthcare, the financial services sector, the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI), governance, and privacy.  

Experts, including Sunita Nadhamuni, strategic advisor at Medtronic Labs, Vanathi Gopalakrishnan, associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh and Divya Raj, chief solutions officer, eGov Foundation, examined how digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence can strengthen healthcare delivery and support frontline workers and also address last-mile implementation challenges.

In the financial services sector, speakers discussed how digital platforms such as the Unified Lending Interface and the Account Aggregator framework could simplify access to credit and lower operational costs for lenders.

The workshop also highlighted the role of artificial intelligence in improving digital accessibility.

Discussions on governance and privacy focused on the need to balance innovation with trust. Srinath Srinivasa from IIIT-B and Shalabh Jain, Centre of Data for Public Good, Indian Institute of Science, discussed a consent management framework housed at IIIT-B to examine privacy, consent, and security as interconnected components of trust.

The workshop concluded with a consensus that while India has successfully built digital infrastructure at an unprecedented scale, the next challenge lies in ensuring that these systems deliver meaningful outcomes and create public value that lasts long.