India Digitizes Citizen’s Driver’s Licenses and Other Legal Documents

Managing documents is about to get easier in India — the rising subcontinent continues to find new, innovative ways to improve their already successful economy with the DigiLocker app.

On Wednesday, September 7th, the Indian government launched a new feature on the
DigiLocker app with the intention of helping citizens store their important legal documents. College education certificates, voter identification cards, and even drivers’ licenses are now available in the palm of their hand—given there is a smartphone in that hand. This means that drivers in India no longer have to carry a physical license, as long as they have the app.

In order to access the documents stored on the app, users must use a biometric Aadhar card — Unique Identification Authority of India—to ensure their documents are secure. Local law enforcement will have an app of their own to verify the records presented by users with the National Register of Ministry of Road and Transport highways.

This initiative taken by the government is all part of the Digital India crusade, a movement centered around eliminating administrative costs within government departments.

Grace Williamson is a travel intern with Paste and a freelance writer based out of Athens, Georgia.