New Delhi, March 17 Delhi LG Taranjit Singh Sandhu said on Tuesday that the future of nation-building is digital, but its heart must remain human.
Sandhu, the former diplomat and newly appointed LG, was delivering the keynote address at Global Confluence 2026 organized by the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM).
Sandhu recalled his long association with NASSCOM since his role as a diplomat in the USA, and added that it was apt that the Global Confluence organized by the Association was one of his first events in his capacity as Delhi LG.
He was administered the oath as Delhi's 23rd LG on March 11.
"History teaches us that nations are built on foundations of stone, steel, and sweat. But in 2026, the architecture of nation-building has changed.
"Today, the most vital infrastructure is often invisible. It exists in the pulses of fiber-optic cables, the logic of algorithms, and the seamless flow of data," Sandhu said.
In large and diverse democracies such as India, technology becomes particularly important as it enables systems to operate at scale. No one has demonstrated the transformative power of technology better than India, he asserted.
"Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), we have harnessed this power through initiatives such as Digital Public Infrastructure (DPIs), Atal Tinkering Labs, Start Up India, Digital India, IndiaAI Mission, Semicon Mission, and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)," he cited various initiatives of the central government.
The ultimate aim of any innovation has to be the improvement in the lives of the people, he said, and added, "We see the use of drones for getting our vaccines across to remote areas, the creation of tractor-sharing apps among our farmers, and the use of AI to ensure the optimal use of fertilizers and pesticides."
Highlighting India's digital transformation, the LG said that in the past decade, the country has witnessed one of the most remarkable digital transformations.
India now has one of the largest internet populations globally and one of the world's most affordable mobile data ecosystems. The data consumption of the country is among the highest in the world, proving that connectivity is no longer a luxury; it is a utility as vital as electricity, he said.
This expansion has created new opportunities for entrepreneurship, innovation, and access to services. Today, India processes nearly 46 per cent of all global real-time transactions. This is not just a statistic; it is a cultural shift, he asserted.
One of the most important contributions India has made is the development of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). Built on open standards, it is a "public good" designed for private innovation, he said.
Citing the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) processes and billions of transactions every month, Sandhu termed them as "technological diplomacy", mentioning countries such as Singapore, the UAE, and France enabling UPI payments or establishing payment linkages with India.
He marked inclusive development, economic growth and activity, and national security and strategic autonomy as the pillars of technology, and added that "the future of nation-building is digital, but its heart must remain human."
He concluded his address by urging the gathering to be ambitious and aim for the "stars and sky", focus on the big picture, research and development, skilling and collaboration, youth, and refrain from negativity.