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India’s focus on creating a robust infrastructure for digital public good with public-private initiatives such as India Stack is making the nation nimble and at the forefront of global innovation, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said at YourStory’s flagship startup-tech event, TechSparks 2022.

“Fundamental tech infrastructure is being created by government stakeholders, and this is created as a public good,” the Finance Minister said, addressing a large gathering of entrepreneurs and investors. “On top of these superstructures, private and public-private partnerships should lay their ideas and bring rapid innovation in e-commerce, education, banking, healthcare, insurance, finance, and more.”

Sitharaman added that such innovations are being driven by India’s youth—a large part of the population that is highly aspirational and possesses rising purchasing power. She also said India can better organise itself with a citizen-centric approach.

“The solutions will have to come from startups. Tech-driven innovations are needed, and these need to be affordable and scalable,” said the Minister.

This is the second time the Finance Minister took stage at TechSparks. In 2020, in her keynote address at TechSparks, the minister had focused on the need for open dialogues between the government and the people of the country.

This time, she spoke about the government’s policies and what they mean for the Indian tech landscape and the ways in which the public and private sector can interface better for synergies.