India using digital tech to transform delivery of services: Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Garg

India has adopted policies and programmes for transforming systems of delivery of services using digital technologies, a top Indian official has told the G-20.

Digital age technologies have profound implications for policies concerning every aspects of the economy, and has enormous implications for emerging markets and developing countries, the Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Garg told a meeting of G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors held on the sidelines of the annual Spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Garg is leading the Indian delegation to the Spring meeting, in the absence of the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The main agenda of the G-20 Meeting was to discuss prospects and vulnerabilities of global economy, harnessing future of work for inclusive growth and take stock of progress made under G20 Compact with Africa Initiative.

In his address to the G-20 meeting, Garg expressed that the response to massive digital transformation will have to shift from catch up growth to adoption/adaption of digital technologies for development and growth.

As such India has started adopting policies and programmes for transforming systems of delivery of services using digital technologies and connecting every Indian with digital technologies and access through Aadhaar and other such means.

Citing the example of expanding mobile data access, Garg said that India is now the largest consumer of mobile data in the world with 11 gigabytes mobile data consumption per month.

He informed that India is investing in digital technologies, encouraging private sector to adapt these technologies and also addressing the taxation related issues by introducing equalisation levy.