DigiLocker is a cloud document storage wallet developed by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) under its Digital India initiative. It can also be used for digitally verifying your credentials.
For example, you can e-sign or open a demat account using the documents stored in the wallet after KYC authentication of a stock broker. Companies like Digio operate in this segment.
What Is A DigiLocker?
DigiLocker is a government initiative under its Digital India project. It is used for storing document and verifying credentials. DigiLocker can safely store your important documents like PAN card, driving licence, Aadhaar card, school marksheets, insurance papers, etc.
DigiLocker helps keep a safe digital record of the original documents in the cloud and makes them available for various authentication purposes as per user’s request.
Besides, citizens can enjoy faster benefits and services with regard to government schemes, employment, education, health, etc. For example, the traffic police can access your driving licence stored in a DigiLocker wallet to verify your credentials.
In 2017, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) said that besides providing hard copies of pass certificates and marksheets of the ICSE and ISC exams, it would make available to candidates digitally signed copies of these documents through DigiLocker.
DigiLocker can also be used for storing personal health records under your Ayushman Bharat ID (ABHA ID). This feature was launched in June 2022. The cloud wallet allows the government agencies to verify the data directly from the issuers in real time after obtaining user’s consent.
Kunal Jhunjhunwala, founder and MD, airpay, a payments processing company, said, "These wallets, such as DigiLocker, are incredibly beneficial to people. As a consumer of DigiLocker, people no longer have to carry several physical IDs or digital IDs across multiple apps, remember login information, others. They simply need to remember one login for DigiLocker, and everything is shared. This makes people's life considerably simpler and less complex in terms of operations."
How To Start Using DigiLocker?
You can apply for a DigiLocker wallet using your mobile number and Aadhar number on its website www.digilocker.gov.in/. There is also an Android/iOS application for signing up.
If you don’t have the mobile number registered with Aadhaar, you can update it at the nearest permanent Aadhaar enrollment centre. Do note that mobile number updation in Aadhaar comes with nominal charges.
After filling the details, you will need to create security pin and enter your email ID. After this process is done, you must create a username and password and the process is completed.
You will see external plug-ins on the dashboard after process is completed; for instance, the income tax plug-ins for PAN, motor vehicles, CISCE plug-ins for ICSE and ISC marksheets (provided you appeared in the exams after 2017), etc. Click on any one of the plug-ins and then proceed to importing document into your DigiLocker website.
