Prime Minister Modi also highlighted the problem of the digital divide in many developing countries

Describing digital transformation as the most remarkable change of our era, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the proper use of digital technologies can become a force multiplier in the decades-long global fight against poverty.

Addressing the session on 'Digital Transformation' at the G20 Leaders' Summit in Bali, Indonesia on Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi praised the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), noting that over 40% of real-time payment transactions worldwide occurred through the UPI over the course of the previous year.

He added that India opened 460 million new bank accounts based on digital identity, making India a "global leader in financial inclusion" today.

Taking to Twitter, he wrote, "Addressed the @g20org session on Digital Transformation. Many tech innovations are among the biggest transformations of our era. Technology has emerged as a force multiplier in battling poverty. Digital solutions can show the way to solve global challenges like climate change."

"Emphasised on making digital technology more inclusive so that a meaningful change can be brought in the lives of the poor. Also talked about India’s tech related efforts which have helped millions of Indians particularly during the pandemic," he added."

In his speech, PM Modi further said that India's experience over the previous few years had demonstrated that if we made digital architecture accessible, it might result in a socioeconomic revolution and that using digital technology could bring scale, speed, and transparency to governance.

He continued by saying that India has created digital public goods whose fundamental design was established with democratic values in mind and was based on open source, open standards, and open APIs that were accessible to the general public.

Later, PM Modi highlighted that even while India is opening up digital access to the general population, there is still a significant digital divide on a global scale, noting that just 50 countries have digital payment systems and that most citizens of developing nations lack any type of digital identity.

At the conclusion, PM Modi urged other countries to make a joint commitment to bringing digital transformation to every human life over the next 10 years, to ensure that everyone on the planet has access to the advantages of digital technology.

He added that during its G20 Presidency, India will collaborate with other G20 members to achieve this goal, and the overarching theme of its Presidency—"One Earth, One Family, One Future"—will incorporate the notion of "data for development."