THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Though the Central Government had issued an advisory to all states in August to accept documents in electronic form via a mobile app ‘DigiLocker’, the state government is still not ready to implement the app.
Transport Minister A K Saseendran said in the Assembly that unless the present Motor Vehicle rules are amended based on the DigiLocker app, it cannot be implemented in the state. DigiLocker is nothing but a digital locker to store all the documents. Linked to both Aadhaar card and phone numbers, DigiLocker eliminates the use of physical documents.
With the idea of paperless governance, and an aim to make life simpler for citizens, the government announced that documents such as driving licence, car registration, voter ID, PAN card, school and college certificates, and many other documents issued by the government could be accepted, when presented in digital form.
These documents can even be used for photo ID purposes at airports and railway stations. DigiLocker app has been made valid under the Motor Vehicles Act 1988 and be treated on par with the certificates issued by transport authorities. Aadhaar number is mandatory for its authentication.
To a question raised by K N A Khader MLA regarding the drawbacks existing in the app and an alternative option implemented by the state to replace the application, the minister said that only after implementation of the app the authorities can think about bringing an alternative option to this app. According to the transport officials, many citizens are still unaware about the implementation of the new procedure and it would take more time to come in use.
Though it’s a one-time procedure to download and save these documents in the app, there are a few steps to be followed. “Due to its complexity of the process, the app is not user-friendly. After installing the app the individual has to enter their Aadhaar number and then the related documents have to be downloaded and authorised by the official,” said Joint Transport Commissioner Rajeev Puthalath.
All the records available with the MVD would go national with the rollout of the new service. It is a fully Centre-sponsored project and the service will be available for citizens using their Aadhaar number.