Stephanie Douse 
As part of the Digital India effort, the Government of Maharashtra, one of India’s state administrations, has begun distributing caste certificates to citizens in Etapalli hamlet, Gadchiroli district, using the Polygon blockchain.
The Maharashtra state government is distributing 65,000 caste certificates in collaboration with LegitDoc, a blockchain-based platform, to help in the delivery of government schemes and benefits.
According to an article co-authored by LegitDoc CEO Neil Martis and Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Shubham Gupta, the caste certificate issuance via neutral web3 platforms aims to target 1.1 million economically challenged residents of the Gadchiroli district, with over 70% representing the tribal population.
Furthermore, the verified certificates are intended to dissuade unscrupulous actors from falsifying government-provided assistance for the poor. The pair also discussed the value of Web3 protocols in safeguarding the general public from de-platforming, both monetarily and non-financially:
“In Web3, anyone can be part of the public blockchain network, but no single entity can control the network, thereby reducing the deplatformation risk by both internal and external actors.”
The LegitDoc technology pulls data from the government’s MahaOnline portal and uploads it to the Polygon proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain as part of a campaign. After that, the system provides a QR code and credentials that may be verified by various government agencies.
To combat document counterfeiting, the Maharashtra government previously built an Ethereum-based credentialing system to provide tamper-proof diploma certificates.
Axis Bank, an Indian financial services company, used government-backed blockchain technology to establish a financial contract between two local businesses earlier this quarter.
India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry developed Secured Logistics Document Exchange (SLDE) as a digital document exchange platform that leverages blockchain-based security protocols for data security and authentication.
The SLDE blockchain technology was used to create a letter of credit between ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India and Lalit Pipes & Pipes Ltd, which guarantees payment under certain conditions. Vivek Gupta, president of wholesale banking products at Axis Bank, added:
“This transaction reinforces Axis’ commitment to lead the digitization in Transaction banking space.”