Nandan Nilekani joins committee to advise govt on digital monopoly

The 9 membered committee has been constituted by the Central government for advice on the measures needed to design and accelerate the adoption of ONDC.

Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, also the brain behind the biometric Aadhar Card system, will now be helping the Indian government put a check digital monopoly by accelerating the development of an Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). Nilekani has joined a 9 membered committee constituted by the Modi government for advice on the measures needed to design and accelerate the adoption of ONDC.

The information was revealed in a statement issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the government’s Ministry of Commerce & Industry. According to the statement released by the DPIIT, “ONDC aims at promoting open networks developed on open source technology, using open specifications and open network protocols” which would remain independent of any particular platform.

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The release added that adoption of the ONDC is expected to digitize the entire value chain, standardize operations, promote inclusion of suppliers, derive efficiencies in logistics, and enhance the value for consumers. The Additional Secretary of the department will be the Convener of the 9 membered council.

Other members of the committee include – CEO of National Health Authority RS Sharma, QCI Chairman Adil Zainulbhai, Avaana Capital’s founder Anjali Bansal, Co-founder of Digital India Foundation Arvind Gupta, MD, and CEO of NPCI Dilip Asbe, MD and CEO of NSDL Suresh Sethi, Secretary-General of Confederation of All India Traders(CAIT)Praveen Khandelwal and Kumar Rajagopalan who is the CEO of Retailers Association of India.