The India story is resonating not just across our globe but even at the Moon’s south pole. Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi led the celebrations of International Yoga Day at the United Nations this year where participants from 180 countries joined. One half of the Bretton Woods twins, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) sees India as a bright spot in the global economy while the other, the World Bank feels that India is in a better position to deal with the international headwinds than many other countries. While a German federal minister expressed amazement after using the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in a Bengaluru roadside vegetable shop, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) commended India’s leadership in innovative digital health initiatives. This is New India, the fastest growing economy that is presiding over the G20, comprising the world’s most powerful countries.
The G20, representing two-thirds of the world population, encompasses 85% of the global Gross Domestic Product and 75% of world trade. It has significantly contributed to ensuring macroeconomic stability, relieving debt burden, streamlining international taxation and facilitating trade agreements. While India has hosted summits of Commonwealth heads of government and the Non-Aligned Movement in the past, the G20 presidency, given its global impact and influence, is unequivocally more consequential. India’s G20 presidency themed One Earth, One Family, One Future, is inspired by the proverbial phrase Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam from the Maha Upanishad. India has evolved as the voice of the Global South and PM Modi has invited the African Union to become permanent members of the G20.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, distinct rivalling views exist on shaping the global order. Having emerged as a Vishwamitra, a friend of the world, India is well poised to share its solutions to address global concerns. Emerging challenges to our economies and health have compelled us to revise how we live and work. India organised the world’s largest vaccine drive in history with a tech-based platform called CoWIN. India’s digital public infrastructure, known as the IndiaStack, complemented by the democratisation of technology, brought about stunning socio-economic transformation. This has ushered in revolutionary progress ensuring inclusive growth, social protection, secure credit access, women empowerment and transparent delivery of public services at the grassroots level.
The numbers in the last nine years illustrate India’s success story — 10 billion UPI transactions in the last month, which is 45% of the world’s real-time digital payments, 1.35 billion Aadhaar cards issued, 500 million Jan Dhan bank accounts opened and more than 300 billion dollars digitally transferred to the bank accounts of the marginalised through direct benefit transfers; 135 million people have been moved out of poverty in the last five years and the Bank for International Settlements stated that India managed to achieve financial inclusion in seven years which would have otherwise taken 47 years.
{{/usCountry}}The numbers in the last nine years illustrate India’s success story — 10 billion UPI transactions in the last month, which is 45% of the world’s real-time digital payments, 1.35 billion Aadhaar cards issued, 500 million Jan Dhan bank accounts opened and more than 300 billion dollars digitally transferred to the bank accounts of the marginalised through direct benefit transfers; 135 million people have been moved out of poverty in the last five years and the Bank for International Settlements stated that India managed to achieve financial inclusion in seven years which would have otherwise taken 47 years.
{{/usCountry}}Under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), over 332 million unique patient IDs, 200,000 health facility registries and 144,000 health professional registries have been created. Real-time digital access to health records has linked practitioners with patients and facilitated structured health care across the country. eSanjeevani, the government’s telemedicine programme, has bridged the divide to enable 140 million beneficiaries to avail access to quality health care at their doorstep.
PM Modi’s vision is firmly guided by sarvajan hitay, sarvajan sukhay (the welfare of all, the happiness of all). Hailing Chandrayaan-3’s historic achievement, he dedicated the success to all of humanity. Covid-19 taught us that global development is not possible without a human-centric approach. The ultimate test of the G20’s significance is whether it can catalyse collective concrete action within multilateral institutions and nations. Only about 50 countries in the world have digital payment systems.
PM Modi, at the 2022 Bali Summit, affirmed that the principle of data for development would be an integral part of India’s summit. He also reiterated that the proper use of digital technologies could become a force multiplier in the decades-long global fight against poverty. If India can steer the global dialogue in the direction of an inclusive digital development agenda, it could be a game changer. A technology-led human-centric globalisation could be the lasting legacy of India’s G20 presidency.
CR Kesavan, a former member of the Prasar Bharati Board, is with the BJP. The views expressed are personal