https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Protecting Land Rights of STs with Blockchain Technology

Assistant Collector of Etapalli subdivison, Shubham Gupta, has started the use of blockchain technology for storing caste certificates. The use of this technology has curbed the racket of fake certificates in the area. Now a caste certificate can be easily verified by scanning a QR code on it.
Indian Masterminds Stories

The underdeveloped and Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra is largely populated by tribal people. The state government has launched various initiatives here to empower the populace. To take undue advantage of the government-sponsored schemes, unscrupulous elements get fake ST certificates made in their names. In order to curb the fake ST certificate racket, the district administration of Gadricholi has started a blockchain system for storing caste/tribe certificates. People can get new certificates and old ones can be authenticated through this system only.

Assistant Collector of Etapalli, Shubham Gupta, a 2019-batch IAS officer, started this initiative in his sub-division. In the next two months, about 65 thousand certificates will be stored on blockchain. At the time of its launch, about two months ago, the project was working in beta version. But now, it is working in full version. The administration will home deliver the certificates to all applicants.

Indian Masterminds interacted with Mr. Gupta, who is also the Project Officer of ITDP, Gadchiroli, to get further details.

IAS officer Shubham Gupta

ADVANTAGES

The biggest advantage of this initiative is that the land rights of the tribals will be protected. Their caste certificates will be full proof, and no forgery or tampering will be possible with certificates from now on. Hence, only eligible beneficiaries will get the benefit of government schemes.

Mr. Gupta told Indian Masterminds, “If you see the land laws in India, there are very strict laws for the transfer of land of Schedule Tribe (ST). People who come in general category can easily transfer their land to anyone, but it is not so in the case of ST people. There are some special provisions in the case of ST category people and they require permission, either from the collector or some other concerned authority. This is so that their rights over the land can be protected.”

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde distributing Caste Certificates

He then cited an example from his time in Nashik, when there was a case of someone grabbing the land of about 20 to 30 people by claiming himself to be of ST category. The person had a fake ST certificate. “That’s why when I came here, I I felt that I should bring a system so that no such fraud takes place. So I brought in blockchain. 85 percent of the population in Etapalli division is ST. Therefore, caste certificate is more important than Aadhar card for the people here, because it is required in all government schemes.”

BLOCKCHAIN

Through the blockchain technology, all important data of caste certificates are encrypted and stored in the public blockchain. So the data is actually not getting stored, but the encrypted hash is getting stored on blockchain. After being stored on blockchain, it generates a QR code. This QR code is put on the caste certificate. So, for verification of the certificate, one just needs to scan the QR code to know about the certificate’s authenticity in 3 to 5 seconds.

IAS Officer and assistant Collector of Etapalli,Shubham Gupta (from left, first), IAS officer and district collector of Gadchiroli, Sanjay Meena (from left, second) with CM Eknath Shinde at a event

“Online certificate facility was already available in Maharashtra, but we just made it better and full proof. We added better technology. Our verification system is different from the state government’s system. Our verification portal is also differently hosted on the district website. We made an additional system for storing data on blockchain technology and we added some space on the caste certificate for putting QR code,” Mr. Gupta said.

CHALLENGES

The office further said that there were mainly two challenges in front of them when they set out to implement the blockchain technology. First, how to explain to the department employees about modern technology and make them use it. Second, to educate the common people about it, including about the QR code on the certificate and what it means. Training was imparted to the employees and to educate the masses, many informative posters were put up all around. “When people see the QR code on their certificate, they will figure out eventually and understand why it’s there,” said Mr. Gupta.

Caste certificate

ABOUT BLOCKCHAIN

Blockchain is a system with the help of which a decentralized ledger of any type of data can be created. Every person connected to this network will have this record of information. This bookkeeping or record occurs as a series of separate blocks of information. This is the reason, this technology is named as ‘blockchain’. This technique was introduced in 1991 by Stuart Haber and Scott Stornetta. For the first time, this technology was used in the transaction of the crypto currency bitcoin in 2009. This system can prove to be very beneficial to verify all types of certificates too.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
mp
MP’s Rs3 Lakh Crore Infrastructure Boom: 255 km Greenfield Highway, Rs5,500 Cr Tiger Corridor Among Key Road Projects
FINNOVATION 2025
SBI & IIT Guwahati Celebrate FINNOVATION 2025 Winners in Gurugram, Empowering Young Innovators to Solve Banking Challenges
nitish-kumar
Bihar: CM Nitish Kumar Inaugurates Rs 44 Crore Six-Lane Pull-Up Ramp in Patna, Aims to Ease Traffic Congestion- Know More
CM yogi
UP: CM Yogi Inaugurates Two New Kalyan Mandaps in Gorakhpur, Emphasizes Accessible Celebration Spaces- Full Details Inside
CISF
National Security at Risk: Centre Opposes Supreme Court Ruling Curtailing IPS Deputation in CAPFs, Says IPS Presence is Crucial
sbk-singh-1753948795
IPS SBK Singh Appointed as Delhi’s New DG of Prisons After Brief Police Commissioner Stint
D
PNB Housing Finance Appoints D. Surendran as Non-Executive Nominee Director; Brings 35 Years of Banking Experience - Know More About His Journey
Pushkar Singh Dhami CM
Uttarakhand: CM Dhami Monitors Chamoli Cloudburst Relief Efforts, Army and SDRF Lead Swift Rescue Operation
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
Resisted Flawed Schemes, Transferred Thrice In Three Months, Found Solace In Writing
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
IAS SVR Srinivas on Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Tough Calls, and the Real Power of IAS Officers | Video Interview
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
Dharavi Redevelopment: IAS Minds Turning 100-Year-Old Slum into a Modern City | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Minnu P M
“Lazy, Sleepy, Yet Determined”: Minnu P M’s Honest Take on Cracking UPSC
Minnu PM, once a clerk in Kerala Police, cleared UPSC with AIR 150 after five years of struggle. Her...
IPS Ashish Tiwari
From IIT and Investment Banking to Public Service, Meet IPS Ashish Tiwari 
Ashish Tiwari, IIT graduate and former investment banker, chose public service over global finance. As...
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-12 at 7.27
First Attempt IRS, Fourth Attempt IPS: The Relentless Pursuit of Jitendra Kumar Yadav Who Cracked UPSC 3 Times
IPS Yadav is originally from Chhattisgarh. He was first selected for the IRS through UPSC and later for...
Social Media
Masahiro Hara
From Go Board to Global Use, How QR Codes Changed the World: IRAS Officer Ananth Rupanagudi Spotlights Masahiro Hara’s Vision
IRAS officer Ananth Rupanagudi shared a video on Masahiro Hara, the inventor of QR codes, highlighting...
IFS Susanta Nanda Video
A Mother’s Duty: Tigress Watches Over Cubs Splashing in Waterhole — Heartwarming Video Shared By Retd. IFS Officer Susanta Nanda
A tender wildlife video shared by Retd. IFS officer Susanta Nanda shows a tigress keeping watch over...
Mohanmala
Kaziranga Mourns: Beloved Elephant Mohanmala Passes Away After Five Decades of Service
Kaziranga National Park mourns the loss of Mohanmala, a beloved elephant who served over 50 years as...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
mp
MP’s Rs3 Lakh Crore Infrastructure Boom: 255 km Greenfield Highway, Rs5,500 Cr Tiger Corridor Among Key Road Projects
FINNOVATION 2025
SBI & IIT Guwahati Celebrate FINNOVATION 2025 Winners in Gurugram, Empowering Young Innovators to Solve Banking Challenges
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-08 at 5.25
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT