Blockchain powered platforms are solving complex problems in India

On January 3, 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto mined the first block of Bitcoin in a first ever blockchain transaction. Since then, blockchain technology has advanced and spread throughout the world. However, it is still seen as a technology used exclusively by corporations and start-ups, making it impossible to imagine how useful it could be in governance.

There are several problems in India that blockchain technology can solve, including supply chain management, identity theft, corruption, disease control, tracking rural property, improving voter turnout, tracking livestock and controlling the spread of counterfeit drugs. State authorities in particular use technology for welfare benefits.

For example, the Rajasthan government unveiled a blockchain-based electronic health record project in December 2017. The platform leveraged Bhamashah, Rajasthan’s regional data hub, to maintain a single version of the truth on blockchain, and health records were secured thanks to the use of electronic health record (EHR) blockchain technology. . Doctors, hospitals, laboratories, and insurance companies are just a few examples of medical entities and individuals that can request access to a patient’s information stored on the blockchain. With the implementation of the technology, healthcare professionals can better care for patients based on more accurate data while patients have greater choice over who has access to their data.

Rajasthan was one of the first states to adopt Blockchain technology in daily governance. Since then, many state governments have launched their own blockchain projects, which have been quite successful so far.

Indian government solves complex problems with blockchain

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has established a center for exchange within blockchain technology (CoE). According to the website, the National Informatics Center (NIC) and CoE teams will collaborate with professionals worldwide to develop and execute new blockchain solutions from proof of concept to production. The four products that have been developed so far are Certificate Chain, Document Chain, Property Chain and Logistic Chain.

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Based on these four products, state governments are creating their own blockchain-based platforms. For example, the Maharashtra government is leveraging distributed ledgers to renew land ownership records in the region. Punjab uses blockchain to undertake certification and traceability of seed potatoes right from core to seed level (harvest). With this, farmers in Punjab will be able to trace the origin of the seeds they buy, which will ultimately contribute to better crop production.

Recently Firozabad Police in Uttar Pradesh launched a platform based on Polygon blockchain for police complaints. According to Ashish Tiwari, SSP, Firozabad Police, “The advantage of using blockchain is that the complaints registered on it cannot be tampered with as data registered is immutable and transparent.”

One of the most active governments in the blockchain space, the Government of Karnataka, is building a permissioned blockchain network to act as a decentralized layer of efficiency and trust for all national eGovernment Procurement (e-GP) services. The claims of suppliers, as well as their identities, will be verified using the blockchain network. The proposed system will provide a network connection between all the e-GP systems, enabling the retrieval and validation of relevant provider data between the various e-GP systems currently in operation in India.

Private companies such as StaTwig create solutions such as the vaccine book, which provides unique digital identities for each vial and features such as traceability. Similarly, Slovenia-based blockchain firm CargoX uses the public Ethereum blockchain to deliver electronic bills of lading, electronic delivery orders, certificates of origin, letters of credit and other trade documentation across all import and export transactions at Indian ports.

Problems in India

Corruption is a big problem in India and blockchain can help reduce it. For example, blockchain can be used to create a transparent and tamper-proof system for tracking public spending. This will make it much more difficult for corrupt officials to divert or misuse funds. Financial inclusion is another major issue in India. There are an estimated 260 million adults in India who do not have access to formal financial services. Blockchain-based financial services can help reach these people and give them access to banking, payments and other financial services.

Supply chain management blockchain can help improve supply chain management in India. For example, blockchain-based tracking systems can be used to track the movement of goods through the supply chain, from the point of production to the point of sale. This will help ensure that goods are not lost or stolen and that they are delivered on time.