Protean eGov Technologies continues to be at the forefront of discussions on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), with MD&CEO Suresh Sethi recently delivering a compelling speech at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The event, which took place on 24 April 2025, titled "Empowering the Digital Citizen of the Future: Towards an Integrated Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)", was organized by the Permanent Mission of India and brought together global leaders to explore the transformative potential of DPI.
The event’s distinguished lineup of invited speakers, included:
- Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, Permanent Representative of India to the UN,
- Ivor Fung, Chef de Cabinet representing the President of the UN General Assembly,
- Shri Jitin Prasada, Hon'ble Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology and Commerce & Industry, Government of India,
- Achim Steiner, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),
- Amandeep Singh Gill, UNSG's Envoy on Technology; along with representatives from Brazil and Kenya,
- Prof Arun Sundararajan from New York University,
- Srikanth Nadhamuni from Khosla Labs, and
- Amitabh Nag from BHASHINI.
Discussions centred on the integration of AI with DPI, its role in enhancing digital governance, and its potential to foster financial inclusion and economic empowerment worldwide. Suresh Sethi's insights, drawing from Protean's deep experience in shaping India’s digital landscape, proved invaluable in shedding light on the practical applications and future possibilities of DPI.
The MD&CEO articulated Protean's vision for "AI-powered DPI in a Box", outlining how such a solution could be instrumental in driving sustainable economic growth and bridging the digital divide, in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The following is a detailed account of Suresh Sethi's address:
“AI-powered DPI in a Box: Shaping Global Societies”
Distinguished guests, colleagues, and friends at the United Nations.
The journey we’ve undertaken in India represents more than just technological advancement. It embodies a fundamental shift in how we envision development – moving from expensive custom-built, siloed systems to open, interoperable digital commons that empower billions. But this is a long journey which started decades ago.
I am proud to represent Protean, a company that was quietly architecting the invisible foundations of India’s digital transformation, long before “DPI” became a global buzzword.
Established in 1996, as the first Central Securities Depository we heralded the capital market reforms. The company pioneered the dematerialisation of securities: we weren’t just solving for paper certificates; we were building India’s first tokenised asset system.
We went onto issue the first digitally verifiable credential - the Permanent Account Number (PAN card) for tax reconciliation in 2003 way before Aadhaar was introduced as the national identity number.
Protean led the modernisation of the tax infrastructure; conceptualising, designing and developing the Tax Information Network to optimise reconciliation workflows for individuals, corporates, and governments alike, unlocking efficiencies in national revenue collection.
We built a pension infrastructure for the National Pension Scheme, that is pivotal in handling millions of pension accounts, making retirement planning efficient and accessible.
Projects like PAN, NPS, and ONDC align with the pillars of Digital India—infrastructure, governance, and citizen empowerment.
But underlying all this was the fundamental challenge: how do you create digital services for a country as diverse as India? We have people from different backgrounds, varying digital literacy, and dramatically different access to technology.
The answer was creation of Open networks, which are essentially digital playgrounds where everyone gets a fair turn, regardless of their size or resources. No single entity controls the infrastructure - everyone can connect, share, and do business freely - they’re possible because of a strong foundational layer called Digital Public Infrastructure, or DPI.
This transformation didn’t happen by accident. It was the result of deliberate architectural choices that created the India Stack – a layered approach that integrates ecosystems across identities, transactions, and assets.
The Global Challenge
But as I look around the world, I see a stark reality: many nations are still at the beginning of their digital transformation journeys, facing formidable obstacles.
Not every country can build it all from scratch. While some are just beginning their digital journey, others are caught between legacy systems, fragmented regulations, and high deployment costs. A one-size-fits-all model won’t work.
The question before us today is: How do we make this transformation accessible to every nation, regardless of their technological readiness or economic status?
The answer lies in what we call “DPI in a Box.”
DPI in a Box: A Customizable, Open-Source Playbook
DPI in a Box isn’t just a product. It is a customizable, opensource playbook of digital building blocks that countries can use to rapidly build foundational digital systems. It includes digital ID, payments, consent-based data sharing, tax and pension services, grievance redressal systems, and more.
What makes it powerful is that it can adapt. A country like Rwanda may need a strong identity layer first. Brazil might prioritize SME e-commerce. Gambia may need a digitally enabled agriculture stack. DPI in a Box is modular and built to suit the legal, cultural, and infrastructural needs of each country.
This pre-packaged solution consists of:
- Pre-configured core DPI components: Ready-todeploy systems for identity, payments, data exchange
- Comprehensive documentation: Clear implementation guidelines and standards
- Governance frameworks: Templates for policy and regulatory structures
- Collaboration tools: Open-source licensing and modular design
- Legal and compliance resources: Guidance on privacy, security, and interoperability
What makes this approach revolutionary is that it dramatically reduces the time, cost, and complexity of digital transformation. Instead of the traditional custom build model that can take 1-3 years just to get to a pilot phase, DPI in a Box enables countries to begin testing and implementing solutions in months.
Real-World Impact: From Vision to Reality
Let me share some examples of how this approach is already transforming lives.
In the Philippines, a national health information system based on open DPI components is being implemented for under 5 million dollars – just a fraction of what traditional approaches would cost. In Morocco, DPI is enabling the onboarding of 37 million citizens into government programs.
At Protean, we’ve been involved in building Morocco’s first Education Digital Public Infrastructure based on the Sunbird ED framework. Working with the Moroccan Preschool Foundation and partners like EkStep, COSS, Google, and Deloitte, we deployed a Learning Management System that enables educators across Morocco to access courses, complete assessments, and receive digital certificates. This system was deployed via a GCP image, demonstrating the “plug-and-play” capability that makes DPI in a Box so powerful.
Another example comes from our work with Agristack in India, a ground-breaking DPI that revolutionizes data management for farmers across 13 states. This system has already onboarded over 4.3 crore farmers, digitized more than 15.2 crore geo-referenced plots, and facilitated crop surveys covering 6.9 crore hectares.
These aren’t just impressive numbers – they translate into real impact through use cases like:
- Connecting farmers directly to markets, eliminating middlemen
- Enabling data-driven access to KCC loans
- Providing customized advisory services tailored to specific farming conditions
- Streamlining crop insurance processes through reliable digital data
The AI Opportunity: Living Intelligence
Now, imagine combining this infrastructure with artificial intelligence. That’s when things really start to transform.
In India, we speak 22 official languages and hundreds of dialects. AI-powered systems now allow small shopkeepers to manage their inventories by speaking into their phones in their native language. These platforms can categorize products, suggest pricing, and even help shopkeepers go online. Thousands of kirana stores have seen sales grow by an estimated 25 percent.
In financial services, AI analyzes transaction patterns to create “information collateral” – enabling lenders to assess creditworthiness without traditional physical collateral. We’ve seen this drive remarkable changes in India’s lending landscape, with small-ticket loans under 10,000 rupees growing from 27.8% of originations in 2018 to 69.7% by 2021.
And through initiatives like Bhashini, AI breaks language barriers through real-time translation, ensuring that digital services are accessible regardless of the language one speaks – a vital consideration for the multilingual Global South.
The Global Opportunity: Taking DPI to the World
The value of this approach is not just national. It is global. Across Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, DPI in a Box is being deployed in ways that respect national sovereignty, reduce time to launch, and lower implementation costs.
And here is the magic: These systems are open source, so there is no vendor lock-in. They are interoperable by design, so they can connect with existing platforms. They are also secure and privacy-aware, with embedded consent frameworks and data protection principles aligned to local laws.
The UN’s High Impact Initiative on DPI and the 50-in-5 campaign aim to help fifty countries design, launch, and scale components of their digital public infrastructure by 2030.
Beyond Technology: Capacity, Trust, and Governance
To make this work, we need to build capacity. Many countries still lack the policies, regulatory clarity, and skilled professionals needed to manage digital systems at scale. DPI in a Box includes not just software, but also guidance on legal frameworks, compliance, training, and governance. It is about building long-term, population-scale platforms that improve lives.
And we must build with trust at the core. AI in public systems must be transparent, ethical, and civic in nature. These tools must be tested for bias, audited for privacy, and governed in ways that include citizens in the loop.
Our approach to DPI emphasizes:
- Collecting minimal data
- Using data only with consent and notice
- Maintaining federated data structures with no central “honey pots”
- Regulating access to data through clear frameworks
Because in the end, DPI is not just about infrastructure. It is about dignity, access, and opportunity.
The Path Forward: Three Imperatives
As we look to the future of DPI in a Box, I see three imperatives that must guide our work:
First, Inclusivity by Design: Every DPI solution must prioritize accessibility, affordability, and adaptability. This means ensuring offline access options for those with limited connectivity, designing for users with varying levels of digital literacy, and supporting diverse languages and cultural contexts.
Second, Security and Trust: Privacy and data protection must be foundational, not afterthoughts. As we deploy AI, we must ensure it operates within clear ethical boundaries and with appropriate human oversight.
Third, Collaborative Innovation: The future will be built through partnerships across public and private sectors, across borders, and across disciplines. This is why Protean is actively building alliances with implementation partners, technology providers, and funding agencies around the world.
Conclusion: Building the Future Together
If we do this right, a child in Gambia, a farmer in Vietnam, or a student in Rajasthan will have access to the same kind of public systems as someone in London or New York. Not by chance, but by choice.
The vision that guided India’s digital transformation – that technology should be an enabler, not a divider – must now guide our global efforts. Through DPI in a Box, we can make this vision a reality for billions more people around the world.
At Protean, we’re committed to being catalysts in this global transformation. As our recent annual report states, we’re “at the cusp of a huge transformation as we continue to build for billions.”
So, let’s not settle for fragmented progress. Let’s build fast. Let’s build fair. Let’s build digital societies that are inclusive, adaptive, and intelligent. Together, let us create a world where technology serves as the great equalizer – where every person, regardless of their circumstances, can participate in and benefit from the digital economy.
Thank you for your attention. I look forward to our discussions on how we can collaborate to bring the promise of AI-powered DPI in a Box to every corner of our world.
