When the current union government started its first term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi heated up the talks of digital payments, it was not well received in the parliament, to say the least. The former finance minister posted then-valid queries such as “Which country has a cashless economy? Where is electricity in the country? Where are the POS machines?” But the government has a vision and a clear execution plan. The rest is history. Today, even the pushcart vendors in the remotest of villages accept digital payments. If innovation transforming a country was a technology, it would surely look like India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the instant payment system developed in India and now

getting exported across the globe. India does more digital transactions today than that of the US, China, and Europe put together.

India's success in digital transactions can be traced back to the launch of digital India in 2015. Recently, Minister of State for Information and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar reminisced about this success and the prime minister's vision. Addressing World Bank Digital Economy Conclave 2023, Rajeev said, "In 2015, through the launch of Digital India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set unconventional expectations through three broad goals - technology should improve the lives of citizens, impact governance and democracy and further expand and create an architecture for an innovative economy. Over the past nine years, India has taken the lead in creating technologies as opposed to being a mute spectator and consumer of technology."

Our country's budding technology leaders have much to learn from this case study. Solving societal challenges with futuristic technologies and innovations with foresight is a great way to success. Remember, India-problems always require India-solutions. This yearly special issue is all about innovation and innovation specialists.