Nandan Nilekani played the formative role in creating the basic infrastructure - Aadhar - upon which various offerings and government services have been stacked. He advised UPI, ONDC and informally worked with the government on several projects. 

Perhaps, most importantly, it is said that he convinced the Prime Minister, in the early months of the administration in 2014, of the enormous spectrum for offerings that could be dovetailed on the UID platform. Full credit to Mr Narendra Modi, for having recognised, very early on, how significant Aadhar would be as the basis of his personal vision to transition India into a new digital age. But India also owes Nandan a great debt, as this podcast explains.