In the move to become a Digital India, the government introduced DigiLocker to help individuals skip the long process of reissuing the documents in case they are lost. Manier times one has to get a document attested from a gazetted officer to serve as proof. All this process was cumbersome and tiring. But now the government has made provision for digital documentation and e-signing.
Important Aspects of Digi Locker
DigiLoacker is a relatively new service from the government; thus, there are a lot of things to know about it. Here we have covered the important 7 aspects of it. They are:
- Signing Up: First of all, you have to visit “https://www.digilocker.gov.in” to create your account. You can create an account using a username or password; otherwise, you can also choose your aadhaar number and OTP. The mobile app, as well as the cloud platform both, are secured through aadhaar authentication. It means that an individual can create only one account in DigiLocker, which will be linked to Aadhaar.
- Uploading Documents: Now that you have created your account on DigiLocker, the next big step is to upload your documents or even get it issued from the relevant authority like UIDAI or IT Department. To upload the document, select the document you want to upload and then upload the scanned copy of it. Alternatively, select the document, provide the details, and the relevant issuing authority will issue the document on DigiLocker.
- Driving License: You can even get your driving license and registration certificate from the respective DTO. You can use the documents issued on DigiLocker in place of original documents. A QR code is present on each document, which can be used to check its authenticity, and you can even share the documents from the app.
- Identity Proof: In its Commercial Circular No. 33 of 2018, Ministry of Railways confirmed that aadhaar card and driving license, when presented from the ‘Issued Documents’ section in DigiLocker, would be considered as a valid identity proof. Thus, you must remember that the validity is considered in trains only when it is shown through the ‘Issued Documents’ section and not from ‘Uploaded Documents’ section.
- Educational Certificates: Reissuing of educational certificates from the respective Education Board was never a simple task. However, through DigiLocker app, you can get them issued if it is included in the 20+ educational certificates list. There are around 15 central and state education boards, and technical institutions which issue certificates through DigiLocker app. Some prominent examples of the included authorities are CBSE, CICSE, PSEB, BSEB, Jharkhand Academic Council, NIOS, Maharashtra State Board, etc.
- Digital Signing: With the help of DigiLocker, you can digitally sign your documents and mail it to the requesting party. The e-signing is equal to self-attestation, where the individual asserts that the document is original or genuine. Currently, e-Signature can be done through the Aadhaar e-KYC service with OTP or finger authentication. For services like account opening, income tax filing, application for vehicle registration, getting a driving license, etc., the facility of e-Signing can be useful.
- Additional Documents: There are a lot of additional documents which you can get it issued through DigiLocker app. A small list of issuers and documents available through DigiLocker are:
- HPCL, BPCL and IOCL issues e-subscription voucher for LPG connections.
- Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship issues ITI Certificates
- e-District, Delhi issues caste, income, and marriage certificates.
- Greater Chennai Corporation issues birth and death certificates.
- New India Assurance Co. Ltd. issues Insurance policy documents
- NIELIT, New Delhi issues NDLM Certificates
The documents uploaded on DigiLocker or issued from it are completely safe. The hacking of a DigiLocker account is next to impossible. Along with your username and password or aadhaar and OTP, the app also has a 4 digit PIN which strengthens its security.
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