SUMMARY
Aadhaar And Driving Licence Copies In 'Issued Documents' Section Of DigiLocker To Be Considered Valid Proof Of Identity For Train Passengers
If you, like a lot of other people, worry about leaving behind your identity cards, Aadhaar, driving license, or PAN card while travelling, IRCTC now has a solution to ease your travel with DigiLocker.
In a Twitter post, DigiLocker announced that the Railways have said that they will accept soft copies of Aadhar and driving licences saved in DigiLocker, a digital storage service operated by the government that enables Indian citizens to store certain official documents on the cloud.
The IRCTC has sent a directive to all zonal principal chief commercial managers that “issued” soft copies of Aadhaar and driving license saved in DigiLocker will be accepted as valid proof of identity of a passenger.
“If a passenger shows Aadhaar or driving licence from the ‘issued documents’ section by logging into his/her DigiLocker account, the same should be considered as valid proof of identity,” the order said.
Further, the order clarified that documents in the ‘uploaded documents’ section would not be considered as a valid proof of identity.
The government’s DigiLocker is a platform for issuance and verification of documents and certificates in a digital way, thus eliminating the use of physical documents.
Citizens who sign up for a DigiLocker account get a dedicated cloud storage space that is linked to their UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) number. It provides citizens with a shareable private space on a public cloud, making all documents/certificates available on it.
About 290 Mn driving licenses and vehicle registration certificates, issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, 150 Mn LPG records, issued by Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, and 10 Mn CBSE marksheets and certificates are some of the documents, apart from Aadhaar, that are available on DigiLocker.
According to reports, DigiLocker is being used by 9 Mn people across India to store over 197 Cr documents such as Aadhaar Cards, driving licenses, and more.
In January 2017, DigiLocker was integrated with UIDAI as a registered issuer. Registered issuers are entities that are authorised to issue e-documents to individuals in a standard format, making them electronically available, for instance the CBSE, the Registrar’s Office, the Income Tax department, etc.
As of now, departments such as the ministry of road transport and highways (driving licenses and vehicle registration certificates), and the ministry of petroleum have already enabled DigiLocker. Also, states such as Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh have enabled filing of birth, income, and caste certificates directly into DigiLocker accounts. Plus, education boards such as the CBSE also send their results directly to DigiLocker.
Recently, in January 2018, the Ministry of Skills India development agreed to issue all its certificates in the DigiLocker accounts of citizens. It is now targeting the agriculture ministry, which issues certificates on pesticides, fertilizers, etc, to bring it onboard DigiLocker.
The central government is on a mission to make India digital by 2020. The IRCTC, one of the largest public platforms, enabling DigiLocker is a huge step in this direction.
