This Article First Appeared In Economist.com On June 4, 2023.
Narendra modi aspires to turn India into a vishwaguru, or “teacher to the world”. But what pedagogical gift, beyond its prime minister’s sage-like appearance, does a rapidly growing and ambitious India have for other countries?
Technological prowess, is the Modi government’s answer. In a little over a decade India has built a collection of public-facing digital platforms that have transformed its citizens’ lives. Once known as the “India Stack”, they have been rebranded “digital public infrastructure” (dpi) as the number and ambition of the platforms have grown. It is this dpi that India hopes to export—and in the process build its economy and influence. Think of it as India’s low-cost, software-based version of China’s infrastructure-led Belt and Road Initiative.