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