INDIA’S DIGITAL TECH REDUCED DISPARITIES: UN

United Nations, Jan. 29: India successfully managed to use digital platforms to reduce disparities among population groups, a flagship UN study has said, noting that the country’s experience of complementing mobile technologies with the Aadhaar identification system to reduce inequality is likely to be replicated in other countries in future. The World Social Report 2020, published by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), notes how India harnessed the potential of digital technologies for more inclusive development.

In the report, the UN said the experience of India suggests that mobile digital technologies need to be complemented by other technologies to reduce inequality in access to financial services. “India managed to achieve more equal access to financial accounts by complementing mobile technologies with a national system of digital IDs and an affordable electricity system that provides an uninterrupted supply of stable current,” it said. Given that many developing countries currently have digital ID systems and some countries are on track to achieve universal access to modern energy during the 2020s, the report said “the experience of India is likely to be replicated in other countries in the near future.” The report highlighted the role played by the Aadhaar identification system to achieve financial inclusion in India.