Decoding The Unicorn Nation
The Times of India Mumbai|October 25, 2021
India’s demographic dividend may finally be realised through the digital dividend
Haresh Chawla
Decoding The Unicorn Nation

A new unicorn has been minted every 10 days so far in 2021. Across the economy, young founders, backed by a wall of venture capital, are crafting new paths, creating new offerings that are disrupting the way we live our lives.

These unicorns are bright, green shoots of a once-in-a-generation structural reset of our economy that will leave no Indian untouched. A new digital India is taking birth under the shadows of the dislocations created by Covid. The economic liberalisation of 1991 unshackled our economy and unleashed a wave of entrepreneurship and societal changes that created the modern India we live in today. This time, the impact will be 10x bigger.

Covid left indelible scars, but it catapulted India to the top of the league of digitally connected nations. Compelled to adapt their lives and livelihoods to a 4x5” smartphone screen, the virus forced the entire populace to embrace new habits and behaviours. Three vectors – adoption, inclusion and disruption – came into play, vigorously and concurrently.

Pre-Covid, the smartphone was primarily an entertainment and communication device for millions. Today, it is like a connected supercomputer in our palms. And Covid ensured serious adoption, making it a transaction device, penetrating every strata of our society, well beyond the English-speaking elite. Local languages and voice/video-based search democratised access. Armed with just three things – a bank account, a smartphone and a digital identity – anyone, anywhere can meaningfully transact online, find a job, learn a skill, invest money, take a loan … name a service and it’s accessible online today. The public digital rails that Nandan Nilekani’s Aadhaar project kicked off in 2009 are today the envy of the world.

This story is from the October 25, 2021 edition of The Times of India Mumbai.

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This story is from the October 25, 2021 edition of The Times of India Mumbai.

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