Digilocker initiative records a repository of 24.13 lakh docs from 20.13 lakh users

ONE OF the key projects of the NDA government to introduce paperless governance – Digilocker – has recorded 20.13 lakh users with a repository of 24.13 lakh documents in the first year of its launch. Of these the highest were registered in Maharashtra, followed by Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. On the other hand, at the bottom of the list were scarcely populated Lakshadweep, Meghalaya and Mizoram.

The Digilocker service was launched on July 1, 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the launch of Digital India week The facility allows a user to store various documents issued by the government, using the Aadhaar identification to log in. As per the latest government data available, Maharashtra registered 1.33 lakh users on Digilocker last month, while 113,995 were registered Uttar Pradesh. At the lower end, Lakshadweep has registered only 38 users so far in July, while Meghalaya and Mizoram have got 61 and 69 users, respectively, on board the Centre’s digital locker facility.

The number of registered users across the country on the facility saw a huge jump in the month of April — 7.53 lakh — when the Centre had urged all municipal bodies in the country to adopt its digital locker service to help make their administration paperless.

Even though Digilocker is the government’s own service, it has opened up the idea of citizens storing government documents with private players as well who can provide their own online lockers. However, this move has raised a number of security concerns.

To tackle these concerns, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (Deity) has issued norms for a private digital locker service provider. As per the norms, the service provider would have to get its operations, including its security policy, physical security, services administration, etc audited every year by an independent auditor.

Deity has also mandated that access to confidential information by the employees of the service provider shall be on a “needto-know” and “need-to-use” basis. The process of maintaining this confidentiality of information would to be included in the Digital Locker Practise Statement issued by the service provider.

Apart from Digilocker, ICICI Bank operates digital locker services under the e-locker brand, and Gurgaon-based Next Gen Papers Solutionspvt.ltdoperatesitsdocumentmanagement services under the Kleeto brand.