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Blockchain-based Government Services

There are three nodes in Vajra:

1. Clearing House node: This node administers the platform. It is controlled

and maintained by NCPI.

2. Notary node: This node provides validation only if Aadhar biometric is

used for authentication.

3. Participant node: These nodes are represented by the banks that can post,

receive and see transactions.

8.3.2.1  Process

The Clearing House node has the authority to add new nodes on the platform. Every

external party that engages with the participants of the platform will be verified by

the node. Vajra deals with the application programming interface (API) interactions

with key management and distinct security measures and security in data access.

8.3.2.2  Benefits

• The Vajra payment system offers the following features:

• Reduction in manual processing, as Vajra is an automated payment system.

• Fewer disputes due to the decentralized and centralized data storage service.

• The platform uses cryptography to provide highly secured payment

transactions.

• All transactions are transparent.

8.3.3  Indian Initiatives in Government Services

Blockchain, being a disruptive and emerging technology in India, is at a very incep­

tive stage. Large-scale implementations in this field are yet to be seen, but they are

slowly penetrating within the industry through pilot testing and use cases. About

50% of the states in India are experimenting in the field of blockchain, especially

its adoption in the public sector. The leading use cases are seen in the land registry,

farm insurances and digital certificates (Nasscom, 2019). Table 8.1 depicts a sum­

mary of all the projects/initiatives happening in India in various phases along with

their blockchain category.

The state of Karnataka has implemented blockchain to store educational certifi­

cates on a semi-public platform, which gives authority to the student to allow access

to their documents. Maharashtra has done a small but successful pilot on a private

platform for land records, while West Bengal implemented blockchain on a public

platform to issue birth certificates.

There are also states like Telangana that have developed PoCs in the field of

land registration and data protection. Andhra Pradesh has completed PoCs in land

records management and educational certificates, while the state of Goa is exploring

the feasibility of blockchain implementation in the land registry. Various states are

yet to implement blockchain but have announced its inception: Uttar Pradesh will

experiment in the field of land and revenue records, while Gujarat will work in the

sector of e-governance.