Digital Public Infrastructure and Evidence-Based Governance: Aadhaar and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in Contemporary India

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) has emerged as a critical instrument for improving governance, public service delivery, and socio-economic inclusion. India has developed one of the world’s largest DPI ecosystems through interoperable platforms such as Aadhaar, Jan Dhan accounts, mobile connectivity, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), DigiLocker, and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). These systems collectively support evidence-based governance by improving beneficiary identification, reducing leakages, increasing transparency, and enabling real-time monitoring of public programmes. This paper examines the evolution of India’s DPI architecture, with particular emphasis on Aadhaar and DBT as foundational mechanisms for governance transformation. It further analyses key components of India Stack and highlights their contribution to financial inclusion, digital governance, healthcare, education, public procurement, and infrastructure planning. The study argues that India’s DPI model demonstrates how open, interoperable, and citizen-centric digital systems can strengthen state capacity while promoting inclusive development.