Indian Maharashtra Government issued digital caste certificates over Polygon blockchain


In partnership with LegitDoc, a blockchain-based
application, the government of Maharashtra which is one of the most industrialized
states in India has started issuing caste certificates over the Polygon
(CRYPTO: MATIC) blockchain technology as a part of the Digital India campaign.
These certificates were issued to citizens residing in Etapalli village,
Gadchiroli district.
In this process, the Maharashtra state government is issuing
65,000 caste certificates to aid the process of delivering governmental schemes
and benefits. New certificates were issued through a blockchain platform called
LegitDoc, which is based on the proof-of-stake technology utilized by Polygon
network, an assistant collector, and project officer in the Government of
Maharashtra Shubham Gupta explained. The caste certificate is often
referred to as the community certificate. It is a legal document that provides
proof of an individual's caste affiliation and is issued according to the
Indian Constitution.
Additionally, the verifiable certificates are intended
to deter bad actors from falsely claiming government-provided benefits allotted
for the underprivileged. As per the LegitDoc's website, the system allows for
the issuance and verification of tamper-proof digital documents and is free
from any type of central failure, security lapse, and budget constraints. These
documents later can be verified from any part of the world “in just a matter of
10 seconds.”
LegitDoc platform collects selective data from the MahaOnline portal which is run by the government and uploads it to the Polygon
proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain. After that system generates a QR code and
certificates, which can be verifiable by various government departments.
Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Shubham
Gupta revealed that the Indian government is always on the lookout to implement
disruptive technologies that can assist democratize citizen services. In an
article co-authored by LegitDoc chief executive officer CEO Neil Martis, Gupta
stated that through neutral Web3 platforms the caste certificate issuance goals
to target 1.1 million economically challenged residents of the Gadchiroli
district with over 70% representing the tribal population.
According to reports, the Maharashtra government includes
MahaIT, the social justice department, education departments, the minorities
department, and the NMMC in Mumbai. The government of Maharashtra is trying to upgrade
its traditional systems to blockchain-based systems. The government has
previously implemented a tamper-proof diploma certificate system using Ethereum
to prevent document forgery. Secured Logistics Document Exchange (SLDE) is a
digital platform for document exchange developed by India's Ministry of
Commerce and Industry using blockchain-based security protocols to ensure data
security and authentication.
Other firms implementing such steps:
Similar e-governance initiatives are being found in
other jurisdictions including Singapore and Malta. Recently Polygon blockchain
has become Tether’s main infrastructure partner in facilitating stablecoin payments in Lugano, Switzerland. Michele Foletti, Lugano's mayor, announced in early
March that Bitcoin, USDT, and LVGA Points will be recognized as de facto
currencies.

Indrani Bose
CBW - External Analyst
INDIA