New Delhi, Feb. 23 -- India's digital public infrastructure story has been remarkable. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) made digital payments a habit. CoWin demonstrated population-scale tech execution during a crisis. Aadhaar, DigiLocker and Fastag showed how digital rails can drive inclusion and efficiency.

Naturally, this success would inspire ambition beyond payments and identity. The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) was born from this confidence to do for e-commerce what UPI did for payments: break platform silos and create an open, interoperable network where buyers and sellers could transact freely. Big private platforms would not be the only options.

Nearly four years on, ONDC has not lived up to its promise. It rema...