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Blockchain Technology

8.1  INTRODUCTION: BACKGROUND AND DRIVING FORCES

Today’s world mainly relies on information that is generated and distributed among

the public on a large scale, but unfortunately, the authenticity of the information

is always in question. Recently, a new technological breakthrough called block­

chain has redefined the enterprise of “trust”, making the information business

integrally trustworthy. It is considered especially important for government agen­

cies to have complete, secure, accurate and reliable information exchange in vari­

ous fields. Organizations around the world can use blockchain technology as a tool

to redefine a framework where information can be used for transaction purposes

(PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2018).

The unique features of blockchain have opened up new opportunities in various

sectors such as supply chain, energy, food, retail, healthcare, education and govern­

ment. The impact of change will be brought to the fore through blockchain technol­

ogy in the delivery of government services and Internet performance.

“Blockchain technology can strengthen a new type of Internet, ‘Internet of value’. It

can also enable our cities to function more efficiently, thus increasing productivity and

economic growth”

(PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2018)

Various departments, even though working under a single government, have no

cross-communication and prefer to work in silos. They present different identities to

the consumer on the front end. Blockchain intervention can provide an identity man­

agement model for this. It can enable the secure movement of controlled data from

the government to the citizen. Utilizing blockchain, via smartphone applications,

citizens can view their public service identity and share significant data to access this

public service easily. The government’s role here would be that of a verifier rather

than a controller, thus recreating the relationship between government and citizen. It

will also improve aspects of service delivery, ultimately leading to citizen satisfac­

tion (Borrows & Harwich, 2017).

Governments can influence this technology to gain:

• Raised level of transparency.

• Increased working efficiency.

• Trust and accountability in government’s function.

• Help in securing critical data from tampering.

Blockchain demonstrates the potential to transform various aspects of smart cities

and make them more proficient by providing information technology (IT) solutions

8.5.1 National Institute for Smart Governance (NISG) National

Blockchain Strategy...........................................................................138

8.5.2 State-level Policy – Tamil Nadu........................................................ 139

8.5.3 Draft State Policy – Telangana.......................................................... 141

8.6

Conclusion..................................................................................................... 141

References............................................................................................................... 142