New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday used a global parliamentary platform to signal India’s growing push to share its technology playbook
with developing nations. Speaking in New Delhi, Modi said India is actively building open source technology platforms that countries in the Global South can adopt and adapt for their own systems.
The remarks came at the inauguration of the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth in 2026, hosted at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan in the Parliament House Complex. The event is the largest CSPOC so far in terms of participation, bringing together legislative leaders from across Commonwealth nations.
India’s open source push for Global South partners
Addressing delegates, Modi said India’s approach to technology development is no longer limited to domestic use. He said the idea is to make sure innovations created in India also help partner nations that face similar governance and development challenges.
“India’s continuous effort is to ensure that whatever innovations we make benefit the entire Global South and benefits for Commonwealth countries. We are also creating open-source tech platforms so that our partner countries in the Global South can also develop systems like those in India,” Modi said.
For those tracking India’s digital journey, this statement fits into a larger pattern. Over the past few years, India has rolled out population scale digital systems in identity, payments, and governance. As someone who has watched smaller countries struggle with expensive proprietary software, the idea of reusable open platforms feels practical, not flashy.
Global South at the centre of India’s global pitch
Modi told the gathering that the world is going through rapid and unusual changes, making it necessary for the Global South to chart its own course. He said India has consistently raised Global South concerns at international forums.
During India’s G20 presidency, he said, these issues were placed at the centre of discussions rather than treated as side topics. That approach, according to Modi, reflects India’s belief that global growth cannot be balanced if large parts of the world are left behind.
Democracy, technology, and parliamentary learning
The Prime Minister also spoke about the broader goal of the CSPOC conference. One of its key aims, he said, is to find better ways to promote knowledge and understanding of parliamentary democracy across different countries.
Modi described India’s democratic system as deeply rooted and resilient. “India has turned diversity into the strength of its democracy,” he said, adding that democratic institutions and processes have helped the country deliver stability, speed, and scale at the same time.
He compared India’s democratic values to a large tree supported by deep roots, pointing to the country’s long tradition of debate, dialogue, and collective decision making. For many delegates in the room, the message was clear. India wants to be seen not just as a technology provider, but as a partner sharing lessons from governance, lawmaking, and digital public systems.
As the conference continues, the focus will likely stay on how technology and democracy can move together, especially for nations still building their core systems.
