Tired of running around to get important documents attested while filling out different applications? The Government of India has an innovative solution to save you all the trouble. DigiLocker, is a cloud-based platform introduced by the government through which important documents are digitally protected. It is for issue and verification of documents such as marksheets, driving licence, domicile certificate and so on.
Authenticity ensured
It makes sure that fake documents are eliminated through Aadhaar-enabled authentication. The documents stored in the cloud can be accessed in electronic and printable formats and also shared with various agencies. DigiLocker ensures privacy and security to the owner of the documents and the person requesting them. Both the owner and the applicant must register on the DigiLocker portal with a unique user ID and password.
Rahul, a pre-university student, is in the process of applying for his higher studies to various colleges and universities. Every educational institution requires several documents for admission. They comprise marksheets of Class X and XII, migration certificate, transfer certificate, among other documents. These have to be duly attested by a gazetted officer or a government official to verify their authenticity.
During admission, if Rahul misplaces a single document, he loses his chances of securing a seat at his preferred institution. Entities such as CBSE are already part of DigiLocker.
How it functions
There are three stakeholders in a digital locker mechanism. In the education sector, there is the school or the Board which issues marksheets in an electronic format which can be stored in a repository.
The requester is an entity, such as a university, who requests secure access to a particular document. Students can use the service based on Aadhaar and one-time-password authentication with an exclusive storage space of 1 GB. Once the student uploads the documents to DigiLocker and e-signs them, he/she can provide different entities access to them upon request.
Instead of taking multiple printouts of the same document, getting it attested by a government officer and submitting it to relevant authorities, students can provide their DigiLocker link and grant access. Old documents in physical format can also be digitised and uploaded.DigiLocker seems to be the future of document management.
As the Internet is required to store and access the data in the repository, the government must come out with policies to bridge the digital divide. Computer literacy and Internet availability are essential for this project to be successful, helping even rural students make use of paperless college admissions.
The author is a first-year student of industrial and production engineering, National Institute of Engineering, Mysore.
