Shukla’s National Data Vision—Bharat’s Journey to a Digital Intelligence Economy

Introduction

In an age where data is the new oil, India stands at the cusp of becoming the world's most intelligent digital economy. Rajesh Shukla, Chief Strategist, National Data Vision, lays the roadmap for leveraging India’s demographic and technological strength through a secure, inclusive, and insight-driven data ecosystem.

1. The Data Infrastructure Trifecta

Shukla’s strategy revolves around three interconnected pillars:

• Bharat DataStack—Unified, scalable national platform integrating Aadhaar, DigiLocker, UPI, and more

• AI BharatGrid—National AI compute and model training infrastructure

• DataSmart India—District-level data literacy and utilization program

2. Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) 2.0

Expanding beyond digital payments:

• Health (Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission)

• Education (DIKSHA, SWAYAM, NDEAR)

• Logistics (ULIP)

• Agriculture (AgriStack)

Shukla’s vision connects these systems through secure APIs to drive real-time governance.

3. Bharat Data Constitution

Rajesh Shukla, chief strategist, leads the drafting of India’s first “Digital Rights & Data Governance Bill,” including

• Data ownership rights for citizens

• Consent-led data-sharing architecture

• Data fiduciaries and ethical AI auditors

• Protection of non-personal data for public good

4. Data Localisation with Global Standards

Shukla balances national sovereignty with global trade:

• Local storage of critical data (health, finance, defense)

• Enabling secure cross-border data flows for trade/tech startups

• Alignment with EU GDPR while maintaining national customization

5. Data for Development (D4D) Missions

Using data to bridge gaps in:

• Nutrition—Real-time child growth dashboards

• Education—Dropout prediction AI in tribal districts

• Health—Disease surveillance & outbreak forecasting

• Employment—Skilling mismatch heatmaps

6. Empowering Citizens—From Data Subjects to Data Stewards

Shukla’s vision makes citizens active participants:

• MyData Bharat App: Control over personal data sharing

• Data Dividend Accounts: Rewards for anonymized data contribution

• Local Data Unions: Community-driven consent policies

7. Bharat AI—Democratizing Artificial Intelligence

Shukla’s roadmap for inclusive AI:

• IndiaAI Mission to fund 500+ AI startups

• Vernacular AI models for 22 languages

• AI Labs in 10,000 schools and 100 universities

• Bias audits and explainability standards mandatory by 2027

8. Data as Soft Power

India becomes a data diplomacy leader.

• South-South Data Cooperation forums

• Hosting the annual “Bharat Digital Summit”

• Offering DPI-as-a-service to Global South nations

• World Bank and UN recognize India’s DPI as best-in-class

Conclusion

Rajesh Shukla, Chief Strategist, National Data Vision, redefines India’s development paradigm—from intention to intelligence. It positions Bharat not just as a data-rich nation, but as a data-wise civilization.

“In tomorrow’s economy, data will be the seed, and trust will be the soil. Bharat must lead in both.” – Rajesh Shukla, Chief Strategist