The Bharath Digital Infrastructure Association (BDIA) today announced Bharat Digital Samvad – India’s first dedicated national forum on digital sovereignty and infrastructure policy. Convening on 20 May 2026 at the Shangri-La, New Delhi, the summit will simultaneously mark the formal public launch of BDIA as India’s dedicated not-for-profit industry body committed to advancing sovereign digital infrastructure.
The forum will bring together senior leaders from cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), and data platforms, alongside policymakers, regulators, academia, and innovators, to forge an actionable roadmap for India’s next digital decade.
The Strategic Moment: Why Now, Why BDIA
India stands at an inflection point. As the country transitions into one of the world’s largest digital economies, the infrastructure that underpins that economy – cloud compute, AI systems, data storage, identity platforms – remains heavily concentrated in the hands of global providers. BDIA was established to change this.
BDIA is India’s dedicated policy–industry platform for strengthening domestic capabilities across critical technology layers: cloud, AI, compute infrastructure, and data systems. It operates at the intersection of national security, economic value creation, and technological self-reliance – three imperatives that can no longer be treated in isolation.
At the heart of this effort is the principle of Data Swaraj, India’s sovereign right to determine how its data is collected, stored, governed, and monetised. Data Swaraj is not a slogan; it is an operational imperative for a nation whose digital economy is projected to reach $1 trillion by 2030.
Bharat Digital Samvad: From Dialogue to Direction
Bharat Digital Samvad is designed for outcomes, not optics. The summit is structured to move beyond discussion panels toward concrete policy alignment and deliverable outputs that industry and government can act upon the very next day.
The Forum will culminate in a set of key deliverables, including a structured policy brief translating multi-stakeholder deliberations into actionable recommendations for MeitY, TRAI, and other relevant ministries. It will also outline a proposed Digital Industrial Policy Framework, identifying specific levers such as taxation, procurement preferences, R&D incentives, and market access to accelerate the growth of India-built digital products. In addition, the forum will seek to quantify India’s dependence on foreign technology and map a clear pathway towards greater digital self-reliance.
Leadership Voices
Piyush Somani, President, BDIA and Promoter, Chairman & Managing Director, ESDS Software Solution Ltd., said, “India has built one of the world’s most ambitious digital infrastructures. The next chapter is about ensuring that the control, governance, and value created by this infrastructure remain within India. Data Swaraj is no longer a future aspiration- it is an operational imperative. Bharat Digital Samvad is the moment industry and policy align to make that happen.”
Abhishek Bhatt, Secretary General, BDIA, said, “India had early leadership across key internet categories, from email platforms such as Rediff and Sify, to search engines like Khoj, and e-commerce initiatives such as Indiatimes. What we lacked was a Digital Industrial Policy that gave domestic players the room and the tools to compete, global players came to dominate these spaces. Today, with Atmanirbhar Bharat as national policy and a generation of founders ready to build at scale, we have a second chance. Bharat Digital Samvad and the launch of BDIA mark India’s determination not to miss it again.”
