Central govt under NAD initiative starts digital archiving of educational certificates
Central government under its National Academic Depository (NAD) initiative has started digital archiving of educational certificates. Mumbai University has deposited nine lakhs degree certificates as informed by it under a RTI query to RTI activist Anil Galgali. By making available degrees from 2014 to 2018 online, it hopes to prevent use if fraudulent educational certificates.
RTI activist Anil Galgali had asked in his query that Mumbai University provide details of number of degrees that have been deposited with the National Academic Depository. Senior systems programmer has informed him that the process had started on February 22, 2018 and in the five-year period from 2014 to 2018, a total of eight lakhs 99 thousand and sixty degrees from the faculties of Arts, Commerce, Science, Management, Technology and Law have been uploaded on the Central Government's National Academic Depository.
Comparison of the fiveyear period showed that in 2014, 1 lakh, 93 thousand 398 degrees were uploaded whereas in 2018, 1 lakh, 89 thousand 538 degrees were uploaded online.
Faculty-wise Commerce degrees were the largest standing at 3 lakhs, 98 thousand 650 followed by arts at 1 lakhs 50 thousand 680. Number for Technology stood at 1 lakh, 29 thousand 603 while that for science was 1 lakh, 11 thousand 625, Management was 76 thousand 851 and that for Law stood at 31 thousand 652.
While informing Anil Galgali in writing it was stated that no fees are charged for this service and degree and other educational certificates are made available online at the depository.
Anil Galgali has said that this revolutionary initiative of the government has resulted in reduction in use of fake educational certificates and that the lengthy process of verification after selection will also be consigned to history. One side verification of degree will now be easy for students on the other, they will have access to copies of their degree and educational certificates online.