Digital infrastructure can aid climate adaptation, says Nandan Nilekani

NEW DELHI: The approach of digital public infrastructure (DPI), which has gained global prominence, can also help in area of climate adaptation and mitigation going forward, chairman and co-founder of Infosys and the founding chairman of UIDAI, Nandan Nilekani said.
Nilekani, speaking at the B20 summit, said India has found a “balance” between responsible regulation and innovation due to its participatory model, as he showcased the country’s success story on DPI, which has accelerated inclusion in the country. India’s DPI is gaining global recognition, Nilekani added, noting there is a major move afoot to take this model to 50 countries in five years. Many multilateral agencies and global groups are coming forward and showing interest, and the next few years will see proliferation and prevalence of digital infrastructure at population-scale around the worldGoing forward, the approach of DPI can also help in climate adaptation and mitigation, he said.
“One of the things which will happen in climate adaptation is you want to give anticipatory financing for building more resilient homes, in anticipation of higher sea levels etc. And you can do that using DPI or using ONDC,” he said.