The government plans to establish a centre of excellence dedicated to research and development in digital public infrastructure (DPI) and digital public goods (DPG). Private institutions, universities, and colleges are crucial in developing applications on digital public infrastructure and fostering global innovation in the digital public goods sector. ?There are numerous applications in the DPI space built on protocols developed by both the public and private sectors. Now, participation from universities, colleges, research institutes, and academics is needed to innovate within these existing models,? an official stated. This centre of excellence will also coordinate the implementation of DPI and DPG proliferation plans in G20 nations and the Global South, the official added. For example, some countries have expressed interest in setting up Aadhaar-like identification systems for their citizens. The centre of excellence will serve as a single point of contact, facilitating the implementation of such schemes in other countries. Digital public infrastructure and digital public goods are developed as underlying architecture protocols by state and central government agencies, as well as private institutions. Companies and startups are encouraged to build applications and services on top of this architecture. The global market for DPGs is estimated to reach $100 billion in the next five to six years. According to a source, the total cost per person for developing a DPG in countries with over 50 million people is as low as 74 cents. (Source: ET)