Digital Public Infrastructure has been central to India's welfare delivery model. Examine this using the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission as a case study.

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) — interoperable, population-scale digital systems like Aadhaar and UPI — has re-engineered India's welfare delivery from paper-based, siloed schemes to consent-based, targeted service. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), launched nationally on 27 September 2021 after a 2020 pilot in six UTs, applies this template to health [2].

How ABDM functions as health DPI

• Digital identity at scale: the 14-digit ABHA ID lets citizens link and share records with consent; accounts grew from 14.7 crore (2021) to over 90 crore (2026) [1].
• Interoperable registries: HPR and HFR map providers and facilities, while HIE-CM enables cross-provider record exchange [1].
• Modular, layered design: like India Stack, components (UHI, NHCX) stack over a common identity layer [1].

Welfare-delivery gains

• Inclusion: nearly 50% of ABHA holders are women, signalling reduced gender gaps in access [1].
• Reach: Uttar Pradesh leads with 15.3+ crore ABHAs; Rajasthan and Maharashtra each cross 7 crore [1].
• Efficiency: NHCX aims to digitise and speed insurance-claims processing, curbing fraud [1].

Limitations

• Account creation ≠ actual record linkage or continuity of care.
• Uneven state saturation raises equity concerns; sensitive health data heightens privacy risks needing robust consent governance [1].

ABDM demonstrates that DPI converts identity into leverage for equitable, efficient welfare — yet its promise depends on genuine interoperability, last-mile inclusion, and strong data-protection safeguards, aligning digital governance with SDG-3's universal health coverage.