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DigiLocker: An Initiative Towards Paperless Governance; All Details Are Here

Introduction

Everything in the current world, including meetings, classes, movies, events, etc., has gone digital. The effects of the digital trend are readily apparent all around us, particularly in the COVID era, where the majority of labor is now done online. The Digital India Initiative recently saw the debut of a new platform named Digital locker or Digi Locker by the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) under the Digital India Cooperation (DIC). It is a portal where all an individual’s documentation is stored, including COVID vaccination records, birth certificates, PAN cards, and Aadhar cards.

The goal of this campaign is to encourage the sharing of legitimate documents online. People will benefit from it since their documents, which were previously in physical form and may be lost or damaged, would be safe and available in their Digi Locker accounts. Digi Locker’s slogan is “Your papers anytime, anyplace.” All government authorities recognize the Digi Locker documents as genuine documents and accept them. The Information Technology Act of 2000 regards the papers Digi Locker issues as original documents. 4.63 billion issued documents and 90.03 million registered users reveal that Digi Locker is widely used for document storage and has made a significant contribution to the Digital India Initiative.

What is DigiLocker, and how to enable it?

A digital document wallet called a “digital locker,” sometimes called a “DigiLocker,” stores and protects a person’s documents. Individuals get 24/7 access to their Digi Locker-stored documents. Thanks to this program, the government of India’s documents may be stored on the cloud. Digi Locker uses aadhar to confirm users’ identities and grant access to documents. Digi Locker ensures that registration, verification, and document retrieval are feasible. Digi Locker is governed by the government and permits the sharing of a person’s data only with that person’s express authorization. Thus, it is entirely secure.

The person must input their Aadhar number and cellphone number while setting up an account with Digi Locker to enable Digi Locker. Please ensure the cellphone number and other data are consistent with the Aadhar details, as it uses Aadhar as the verification method. Two-step authentication is available in Digi Locker. It initially sends an OTP to the registered cellphone number before requesting a six-digit PIN, which serves as the user’s Digi Locker account password. All your documents will be accessible, shareable, etc., when you create an account.

Key features of Digi Locker

DigiLocker is created in a straightforward and user-friendly manner. It is divided into many parts. The many parts are the dashboard or main page, issued documents, uploaded documents, shared documents, activity, and issuers. Following is a list of each section’s distinctive characteristics and purposes: –

  1. Dashboard/Home page – This part appears when the user logs in to the platform. The user may traverse the parts based on his needs since it displays the other sections. Along with a URL to access it, it also displays issued papers from various agencies associated with Digi Locker.
  2. Issued documents – An individual may locate their government-issued papers in this area, which is part of Digi Locker. The issued papers can be accessed using the URL provided in this section.
  3. Uploaded documents – An summary of the user-uploaded documents is given in this section. The user wishes to keep this piece of paper secure, so they uploaded them to the platform. The user uploads the documents from his device; they are not already in his Digi Locker account.
  4. Shared documents – The papers the user has sent to others via email are tracked in this area. URLs are used to share the documents.
  5. Activity – The user’s activities within his Digi Locker account are displayed in this area. It displays all the actions taken in the Digi Locker account, including document sharing and downloads.
  6. Issuers – The list of agencies that issue documents are provided in this section. These agencies have links to Digi Locker. This part also provides a URL so the issuer can access the papers.

Creating a Digi Locker account on your mobile phone

It is incredibly simple and quick to create a Digi Locker account. Following these steps will allow someone to set up a Digi Locker account on their smartphone:

  1. Go to the Digi Locker website, digilocker.gov.in, or download the Digi Locker app for Android and iPhone through their respective app stores.
  2. Select the signup link. You will be prompted to provide your entire name as it appears on your Aadhar card and your date of birth, gender, cellphone number, email address, and Aadhar number. Additionally, you will be prompted to create a six-digit PIN or password for your Digi Locker account. Click the submit button once you’ve completed all the fields.
  3. Your registered cellphone number will get an OTP. Click the submit button once you’ve completed the OTP.
  4. Your username will need to be entered, and your account will be created.

The user will have access to his papers after creating an account, and he may upload new documents, review the documents that have already been provided, and much more. Documents in pdf, jpg, and png formats can be submitted. Documents may not exceed 10MB in size. Genuine documents may be safely stored on the highly user-friendly Digi Locker platform.

Uploading documents to Digi Locker

Uploading documents to Digi Locker often involves certain challenges for users. Below is a list of the procedures to take when uploading documents to your Digi Locker account: –

  1. You will be sent to the homepage of your Digi Locker account after signing in.
  2. On the left side of the webpage, select “Uploaded Documents.”
  3. Select “Upload” from the menu on the section’s left side.
  4. Click the “upload” button after choosing files from the device.

Additionally, Digi Locker offers a tool for managing uploaded documents. By choosing the document kinds tabs for things like an electricity bill, an identification card, a dependency certificate, etc., the user may organize the papers in whatever way they see fit. The user can benefit from finding the papers quickly. Additionally, the user has the option to upload numerous files at once.

Is Digi Locker safe

Every Indian, citizen or not, is entitled to the right to privacy as stated in Article 21 of the Constitution. Both the right to access the internet and the right to the privacy of your online data is guaranteed under Article 21. Due to the digital age, upholding the right to privacy is challenging. Individuals’ personal information is shared with the apps or websites they use.

While it is against the law for an app or website to reveal a user’s data, most applications and websites do not keep user information secret. To make money, they make data sales to other websites or applications. The person is put at risk in our digital environment by this wrongdoing. Furthermore, hackers are improving their tools and methods to target people’s privacy, especially “Data Privacy.”

The majority of people have believed Digi Locker since the government created it. It asserts that it has secured the privacy of its consumers. It employs 256-bit SSL encryption, mobile number verification for signup, an ISO 27001-certified data center, and other security measures. However, Digi Locker acknowledged a problem with protecting individual user data after being questioned, putting 3.68 crores of accounts at risk. No information was sold or provided to any entity by Digi Locker.

The Indian government holds information about people. Data manipulation is only permitted for India’s security and integrity.

Advantages of DigiLocker

Digi Locker has demonstrated value for both citizens and governments. It has the following benefits, which are only: –

  1. Helps contribute to the ‘Digital India’ mission- It assists with digital document archiving and security. It lessens paperwork and the need to share papers with organizations physically. The issued documents folder and uploaded documents section may hold all the papers practically.
  2. Saves time and reduces overload– The ability to verify or inspect documents immediately from the Digi Locker account helps administrative authorities save time and handle more tasks.
  3. Easy to access anytime, anywhere– Since the person didn’t carry physical paperwork, accessing the documents whenever and wherever needed is a comfort.
  4. Safety of documents– Due to government regulation, it offers the highest level of security for a person’s papers. It offers the authenticity and authentication of every document.
  5. Fast delivery of services– The government has time and energy to take meaningful action in health, education, employment, etc., if the people’s documents arrive on time. Most of the resources—financial, human, and otherwise—of the government authority are used to acquire records physically. All of these elements combine to make government services less efficient.
  6. Reduces Corruption– The function of the dishonest intermediaries has been abolished by this Digi Locker. Without intermediaries, documents may now be shared, accessed, etc.

Disadvantages of Digi Locker

Digi Locker has a few disadvantages that are mentioned below:-

  1. Only Aadhar cardholders can use the Digi Locker app– A person’s Aadhar number must be provided to create an account on Digi Locker. A person cannot utilize the Digi Locker services if they do not possess an Aadhar card.
  2. NRIs cannot use the Digi Locker app- The cellphone number must be registered in India to open an account with Digi Locker.
  3. Security concerns- The Digi Locker team recently acknowledged that the account data was vulnerable. Almost 3.68 crores were in danger, according to Digi Locker, and anybody with the username for the account may view the account’s information. Even without a PIN or password, hackers may access the account.
  4. Registration Restrictions– The only cellphone number or email address associated with an Aadhar card must be entered by anybody wishing to utilize Digi Locker’s services.

Conclusion

The Indian population has seen the advantages of Digi Locker. The significant issues of losing or not having physical copies of documents, doubting their legitimacy, lugging about paperwork, etc., have all been overcome. For a significant number of individuals to benefit from this platform and have their papers safeguarded in their Digi Locker accounts, the government should raise knowledge of it more widely. One trustworthy platform that contains virtually all of a citizen’s key papers is required since the government uses different types of citizen data in its service-delivery plans and analyses. Digi Locker facilitates administrative tasks for India’s government and people, aiding the country’s development.

FAQs

What is a Digi Locker used for?

Digi Locker contributes to the vision of Digital India by giving people a safe platform to access documents on a public cloud. Digi Locker, aimed at paperless governance, is a platform for the digital issuance and verification of papers and certifications, doing away with the need for physical documents.

Is Digi Locker a government app?

The Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitYflagship )’s project for the Digital India program is called Digi Locker. By giving citizens’ digital document wallets access to real digital documents, Digi Locker intends to “Digitally Empower” them.

Is the Digi Locker certificate valid?

When utilized electronically, digital documents produced by Digi Locker are equally valid and reliable as the originals. Authorities who are relevant should accept it. Nevertheless, with the help of other organizations, we are attempting to raise awareness of and gain support for such documents.

What is the 6-digit security PIN in Digi Locker?

In a circular, the board said that introducing the six-digit security PIN will improve the security and privacy of student data. Students can access their digital academic documents in the “Issued Documents” area after activating their Digi locker accounts, per the procedure.

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Riya Kapoor

Riya Kapoor writes about lifestyle, entertainment, news and gadgets. She has been in this industry for almost 4 years now. She is a graduate from Delhi University with English Hons and had deep connection with writing since her childhood.

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