This article was first published in theprint.in| AUGUST 21, 2023
New Delhi, Aug 21 A new book by author Nalin Mehta, pieces together the story of digital revolution and how it transformed India in the past decade.
“India’s Techade”, scheduled to release on Wednesday, is touted to be a “crisp yet comprehensive account of the systems, the innovators, the processes, and the political will that drove the digital enterprise across India”.
It is published by Westland Books.
“While researching India’s political transformation for my last book, ‘The New BJP’, it became clear to me how much the wider changes we are seeing in India were linked to its digital shift, from direct benefit transfers and social welfare to UPI.
“This digital revolution has created its own special dynamic and has huge ramifications not just for India but for global tech. ‘India’s Techade’ is the outcome of that realization and the first draft of this history,” said Mehta in a statement.
Over two decades and across two different political regimes, India combined the rise of cheap mobile phones, cheap data, and a unique digital ID system to create an unprecedented revolution in digital public goods.
This included the rise of path-breaking fintech systems like Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the creation of a new kind of welfare state based on digital direct benefit transfers, and interlinked e-governance systems that brought almost half a billion people who never had bank accounts into the financial system.
According to the publishers, the book is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand the transformative nature of technology and its deep impact on Indian society, politics, and culture
Read full article in theprint.in|
