New Delhi, March 27 (NationPress) The journey of India in establishing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) has become a pivotal case study in crafting a developmental framework for the Global South. This was discussed during a session hosted by The Global Institute for Water, Environment, and Health (GIWEH) at the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council held in Geneva, as reported in an article.

The UN session aimed to explore how digital innovation and South–South cooperation can act as driving forces for achieving the Right to Development.

According to a piece in the UK’s Parliament Politics magazine, columnist and global trade expert Surya Kanegaonkar elaborated on how India's JAM Trinity—which integrates Jan Dhan bank accounts, Aadhaar digital identity, and mobile connectivity—has laid down vital digital infrastructure that connects approximately 97% of the population. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) facilitated over 228 billion transactions in 2025, empowering street vendors, rickshaw drivers, and small business owners to engage in the formal economy. Notably, 55.8% of Jan Dhan accounts are owned by women, with 78.2% situated in rural and semi-urban regions, effectively addressing significant inclusion gaps.

The article also highlights the Ayushman Bharat health protection initiative, which benefits 55 crore individuals across 12 crore families, providing cashless hospitalization and alleviating the financial strain of severe health-related expenses. Innovative platforms such as e-Sanjeevani for telemedicine and the e-Shram portal for informal worker registration exemplify how digital solutions enhance healthcare access and social protection for the most vulnerable populations. Panelists noted that these systems are designed as open, interoperable public goods—intended for shared benefit rather than proprietary ownership—offering a model that can be replicated by other developing countries.

Prashant Sharma, a representative of the Dharma Alliance, a non-profit organization in Geneva dedicated to incorporating Dharmic principles into global governance, provided an ethical perspective on the matter. He stressed that technology alone cannot guarantee inclusion; rather, it is the underlying values that dictate whether innovation serves to empower or marginalize. Drawing on values such as service (seva), compassion (karuna), truth (satya), non-harm (ahimsa), and openness to diverse viewpoints (anekantavada), he argued that South–South cooperation should reflect an ethos of shared knowledge for collective welfare rather than competitive advantage.

He further pointed out how digital platforms are being harnessed to conserve and propagate civilizational knowledge through the digitization of manuscripts and AI-driven translations of classical literature, illustrating that development can harmoniously coexist with tradition. Citing Japan's values-driven approach to digital health and resilience in disasters, Sharma called for a global culture of collaboration founded on equality and mutual respect across regions.

Moustapha Kamal Gueye, Director of the ILO’s Priority Action Programme on Just Transitions towards Environmentally Sustainable Economies and Societies, shared insights on how strategic investments in both green and digital economies could create up to 57.6 million jobs by 2030. Specifically, investments in universal broadband access could generate approximately 23.5 million jobs, and climate and energy policies aligned with the 1.5-degree target could lead to around 37.2 million additional positions.