India only reached halfway on its digital journey: Nandan Nilekani

India has reached only halfway on its digital journey and the big question lurking at us is how to create a digital-first economy and society, leveraging the power of modern technology, Infosys Chairman and Co-founder Nandan Nilekani said here on Thursday.

Speaking at the Microsoft's 'Future Ready Technology Summit', Nilekani told the company's Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella that the ultimate goal is to improve the lives of more than 1 billion people with digital tools.

"We need to ensure a more equitable, more inclusive, open access digital transformation," said Nilekani.

He hailed digital initiatives like Aadhaar (which he himself executed successfully) UPI-based digital payments and account aggregator system that are "democratising the digital transformation".

Payments through the UPI interface touched a record high of Rs 12.82 lakh crore in December, registering 782 crore transactions.

On Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), Nilekani said that the government initiative will transform the e-commerce landscape in the country in years to come.

The government's ONDC has established its baby footprint in 85 cities with 800 merchants and 26 participants and is set for a fruitful 2023 with the support of industry players, according to T. Koshy, Managing Director and CEO, ONDC.

With 26 participants and more than 800 merchants, ONDC is rapidly expanding its footsteps and is on its way of transforming digital commerce in India, Koshy said last week.