India’s National Informatics Centre (NIC), a government agency operating under the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), currently hosts nearly eight million government-issued verifiable documents on five blockchains. These documents include education, property, judiciary, and drug logistics records. The NIC has launched a new website to showcase its blockchain initiatives, highlighting the various types of documents hosted over the blockchain.
India primarily utilizes three blockchain platforms, namely Hyperledger Fabric, Hyperledger Sawtooth, and Ethereum, for the development of its blockchain products. The five blockchain projects currently live in India are certificate chain, document chain, drug logistics chain, judiciary chain, and property chain.
The hosted documents come from six states and three government departments, including the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, and the Ministry of Justice. These departments have implemented blockchain technology to enable verification services for property ownership, birth and death certificates, supply chain management for medicines, and educational certificates.
India is also working on proof-of-concept blockchains for land records, blood banks, backtracking goods and services tax (GST), and a Public Distribution System (PDS). In addition, Hindustan Petroleum, a major oil and gas company in India, partnered with blockchain software firm Zupple Labs to integrate its blockchain-based digital credentialing technology into the purchase order system.
The Indian government’s aim in implementing blockchain technology is to combat document forgery. By issuing verifiable and immutable certificates on the blockchain, the government ensures that the documents cannot be altered or misused.
Despite the hesitancy to fully embrace cryptocurrencies, India has embraced blockchain technology, with various state and local governments actively contributing to the nation’s blockchain adoption drive.