Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today that the government is investing in Digital Public Infrastructure to enable digital transactions. Speaking at a programme near Dharmasthala in Karnataka, she said that this will help funds reach the doorsteps of beneficiaries, enabling them to generate profits at the grassroots level and ultimately boost the rural economy. Discussing India’s journey toward becoming a “Viksit Bharat” by 2047, the minister highlighted Women-Led Development as a key initiative in this direction. Ms. Sitharaman also informed that the cabinet had recently decided to set up three Centres of Excellence to use Artificial Intelligence in the areas of Agriculture, Health, and Urban Development. She praised the model created by the Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project, SKDRDP, which empowers women and positions them as engines of growth for rural development. The programme, organized by NABARD and SKDRDP, aimed to distribute profits among Women Self-Help Groups.