A Blueprint for Growth Amidst a Global Polycrisis
Akhilesh Tuteja, Partner & Head (Clients and Markets), and Head —Technology, Media & Telecommunications, KPMG India, 0
The recently concluded World Economic Forum meet in Davos highlighted India’s opportunity to emerge as a global digital leader amidst the ‘polycrisis’, which is a combination of geopolitical risk, climate change effects, and tech disruptions facing the world today. What stood out was the critical role of technology in navigating these crises. Interesting views were shared on leveraging digital transformation for resilience and growth. India, I believe, is already on a solid footing and strategically placed to lead the ‘intelligent age’ with its youthful and tech-savvy population and track record of leveraging technology for inclusive growth.
Technology will be key for thriving in the intelligent era and navigating uncertainty. It provides a means for organisations to be resilient, create new growth avenues, and move with agility in the face of these challenges. Artificial Intelligence, as we all know, continues to revolutionize industries with advanced data analysis and predictive capabilities. Today, India is leading with pioneering innovations, setting global benchmarks in sectors like space exploration, biotechnology, AI, and quantum technology. These advancements could pave the way for addressing challenges we are confronted with and contribute to our progress and our commitment to leveraging technology for sustainable growth and development.
India’s Digital Transformation Blueprint
India’s implementation of projects such as Aadhaar, Digital India, and BharatNet exemplify its digital prowess. The unique identification project, Aadhaar, is one of the largest globally, with 1.38 billion enrolments. Nonetheless, we must pause and ask ourselves, where does India stand on AI? Have significant strides been made? The answer to all these questions is yes, but there exists a pressing need for the government to invest in AI at levels comparable to the private sector.
The government's vision for Digital Public Infrastructure aims to create a robust, inclusive, and secure digital ecosystem. This is indeed commendable, considering our story provides a unique case of an indigenous, open-sourced, public-private-led and impactful digitalization story with limited resources. The fact that India’s DPI is conceived domestically as a DPG, combined with the mission to make it exportable to other countries, needs to be given the necessary attention across the world.
To this effect, government data shows that Digital India has helped to increase the country’s internet subscriber base multi-fold, from around 250 million subscribers in 2014 to 950 million subscribers in 2024. BharatNet has connected around 200,000 villages to broadband. Coupled with these initiatives, the country has also taken steps to harness its human capital by upskilling and re-skilling its workforce to be future-ready.
Initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) are taking digital literacy to rural India, while others such as the Skill India Mission and Future Skills PRIME are making youth
employable and training them in new technologies such as AI, Blockchain, IoT, and Cybersecurity.
Here, we must also recognize the India AI Mission, which aims to establish a comprehensive AI ecosystem through public-private partnerships. The mission could help in democratizing computing access, improving data quality, developing indigenous AI capabilities and fostering industry collaboration while ensuring that ethical and socially impactful AI projects being undertaken align with the government's broader vision of leveraging AI for sustainable growth and development, positioning India as a global leader in AI innovation.
These efforts have earned the country a place among the top five in the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI’s Global AI Vibrancy Tool, alongside the U.S., the UK, and China.
As we move forward, the importance of continuous learning and making the workforce future-ready will also be a critical component of the digital transformation journey. With the rapid diffusion of technology, 35 percent of skillsets are projected to become redundant or transform between now and 2030, according to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025.
Collaboration and strategic leveraging of PPPs have played an important role in advancing the country’s digital economy. The open innovation model exemplifies and bakes in this collaborative approach, bringing the best from diverse stakeholders to solve complex problems. India's UPI platform, with over a billion and a half transactions, is testimony to how open innovation reduces costs, speeds up problem-solving, and promotes inclusivity for a diverse audience.
Possible Pathways for India to Progress from a Digital Frontrunner to a Global Digital Leader
According to a report by the NITI Aayog titled ‘India's Booming Gig and Platform Economy’, by 2030, India is projected to have 23.5 million gig workers, up from merely 7.7 million in 2020. To build on its early successes in digital transformation, India will have to consider this sizable segment, which will play crucial roles in technology, creative services, and more. It will have to build frameworks for the continuous upskilling of this mobile labour force and provide safeguards for minimum financial security and well-being.
And while the country continues to build on the pillars of collaboration and innovation for digital transformation, it will also have to be mindful of the new risks these technological advances bring. This may involve a trade-off, balancing risk and innovation to ensure that progress on digital transformation is not stalled.
Also Read: Auto Components Industry Leadership in the Modern Era
Strong governance, ethical AI guidelines, and data privacy frameworks are vital for India's digital leadership. Initiatives like the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and Cyber Surakshit Bharat are foundational for a secure digital economy. Transparency and accountability in organizational digital policies are essential for building trust. As the country progresses towards a Viksit Bharat by 2047, it must build on its successes and accelerate digital transformation to become a global leader. With a robust foundation and an ambitious vision, India can redefine the digital landscape, leading the world in innovation and inclusion.
Here, we must also recognize the India AI Mission, which aims to establish a comprehensive AI ecosystem through public-private partnerships. The mission could help in democratizing computing access, improving data quality, developing indigenous AI capabilities and fostering industry collaboration while ensuring that ethical and socially impactful AI projects being undertaken align with the government's broader vision of leveraging AI for sustainable growth and development, positioning India as a global leader in AI innovation.
These efforts have earned the country a place among the top five in the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI’s Global AI Vibrancy Tool, alongside the U.S., the UK, and China.
As we move forward, the importance of continuous learning and making the workforce future-ready will also be a critical component of the digital transformation journey. With the rapid diffusion of technology, 35 percent of skillsets are projected to become redundant or transform between now and 2030, according to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025.
Collaboration and strategic leveraging of PPPs have played an important role in advancing the country’s digital economy. The open innovation model exemplifies and bakes in this collaborative approach, bringing the best from diverse stakeholders to solve complex problems. India's UPI platform, with over a billion and a half transactions, is testimony to how open innovation reduces costs, speeds up problem-solving, and promotes inclusivity for a diverse audience.
Strong governance, ethical AI guidelines, and data privacy frameworks are vital for India's digital leadership
Possible Pathways for India to Progress from a Digital Frontrunner to a Global Digital Leader
According to a report by the NITI Aayog titled ‘India's Booming Gig and Platform Economy’, by 2030, India is projected to have 23.5 million gig workers, up from merely 7.7 million in 2020. To build on its early successes in digital transformation, India will have to consider this sizable segment, which will play crucial roles in technology, creative services, and more. It will have to build frameworks for the continuous upskilling of this mobile labour force and provide safeguards for minimum financial security and well-being.
And while the country continues to build on the pillars of collaboration and innovation for digital transformation, it will also have to be mindful of the new risks these technological advances bring. This may involve a trade-off, balancing risk and innovation to ensure that progress on digital transformation is not stalled.
Also Read: Auto Components Industry Leadership in the Modern Era
Strong governance, ethical AI guidelines, and data privacy frameworks are vital for India's digital leadership. Initiatives like the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and Cyber Surakshit Bharat are foundational for a secure digital economy. Transparency and accountability in organizational digital policies are essential for building trust. As the country progresses towards a Viksit Bharat by 2047, it must build on its successes and accelerate digital transformation to become a global leader. With a robust foundation and an ambitious vision, India can redefine the digital landscape, leading the world in innovation and inclusion.