The Indian government launched the National Blockchain Framework to enable security, trust and transparency for citizen-centric applications. Vishvasya – Blockchain Technology Stack, NBFLite, Praamaanik, and National Blockchain Portal were also launched. Read here to learn more.
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) with the vision to create trusted digital platforms, initiated the National Blockchain Framework (NBF) for promoting research and application development; facilitating state-of-the-art, transparent, secure and trusted digital service delivery to citizens.
Additionally, MeitY also unveiled-
- NBFLite-Lightweight Blockchain Platform,
- Praamaanik – an innovative blockchain-enabled solution for verifying mobile app origin,
- Vishvasya-Blockchain TechnologyStack will offer Blockchain-as-a-Service with a geographically distributed infrastructure designed to support various permissioned Blockchain-based applications.
- National Blockchain Portal.
National Blockchain Framework (NBF)
The National Blockchain Framework (NBF) is an initiative developed by the Indian government to promote and adopt blockchain technology across multiple sectors of the economy.
The framework is designed to provide a decentralized, secure, and transparent infrastructure to facilitate services such as digital payments, supply chain management, land registry, digital identity, and public records.
- The National Blockchain Framework technology stack is architected with Distributed Infrastructure, Core Framework functionality, Smart Contracts & API Gateway, Security, Privacy & Interoperability and Applications development offering Blockchain as a Service (BaaS).
- NBF currently supports two permissioned Blockchain platforms and is extensible.
- The Technology Stack is hosted on geographically distributed infrastructure at NIC Data centres i.e. Bhubaneswar, Pune, and Hyderabad.
Key Features of the National Blockchain Framework:
- Standardized Architecture: NBF aims to establish a unified architecture that can be adopted across different states and industries, avoiding fragmentation of systems.
- Interoperability: The framework is built to ensure that different blockchain platforms can communicate and exchange data seamlessly, supporting various industries and government departments.
- Security: Blockchain technology provides high levels of security and immutability by using cryptographic methods, making it highly suitable for sensitive government and business transactions.
- Data Sovereignty: Ensures that data is stored securely within the country, addressing concerns about data privacy and security in public services.
- Automation and Efficiency: By leveraging blockchain’s ability to automate processes through smart contracts, NBF aims to streamline government operations and increase transparency.
- Public and Private Collaboration: The framework encourages collaboration between public institutions and private organizations to expand blockchain use cases across the nation.
Applications
- Land and Property Records: Blockchain’s transparency and immutability make it ideal for recording property transactions, reducing fraud, and improving the efficiency of land registry systems.
- Supply Chain Tracking: By providing real-time data about the movement of goods, blockchain can help track supply chains and ensure product authenticity.
- Digital Identity Management: NBF can be used to create secure, tamper-proof digital identities for citizens, which can be used for accessing various public services.
- Financial Services: Blockchain enables secure, real-time payments and could be integrated into financial platforms to increase efficiency and reduce transaction costs.
Vishvasya: National Blockchain Technology Stack
Vishvasya, the National Blockchain Technology Stack, facilitates enabling trust by developing new types of distributed software architectures, capable of finding consensus on their shared states and providing a single source of truth.
- Vishvasya, through its Blockchain as a Service (BaaS) model, provides security assurance of various Blockchain components across the stack.
- It reduces the need for skilled human resources and enables technological support to organizations in developing and deploying Blockchain applications.
Vishvasya Blockchain as a Service (BaaS):
Vishvasya BaaS addresses the challenges of Blockchain adoption across various stakeholders including Infrastructure Providers, Smart Contract Developers and Application Developers.
NBFLite: Blockchain Sandbox for Startups and Academia
NBFLite, a Blockchain sandbox platform, is developed especially for startups/academia for rapid prototyping of applications, carrying out research and capacity building.
These technologies have been developed by collaborating efforts of C-DAC, NIC, IDRBT Hyderabad, IIT Hyderabad, IIIT Hyderabad and SETS Chennai under the MeitY support.
National Blockchain Framework to Boost Security and Transparency for Citizens
The National Blockchain Framework (NBF) aims to revolutionize governance in India by enhancing transparency, security, and efficiency in public service delivery.
By using blockchain technology, the government intends to secure digital transactions and records, ensuring accountability while reducing fraud and manipulation in various processes.
Blockchain’s decentralized and immutable nature allows for real-time verification, making it suitable for applications in land records, healthcare, education, and welfare schemes.
- Security & Trust: Blockchain ensures that records cannot be altered once they are verified and recorded, preventing tampering and enhancing the security of sensitive citizen data.
- Transparency: The decentralized nature of blockchain allows all stakeholders to access the same set of information, promoting transparency and accountability in government operations.
- Efficiency: By removing intermediaries and automating processes, blockchain can streamline workflows in public services, reducing delays and inefficiencies.
- Scalability: The NBF encourages adoption across different states and government departments. New platforms and applications can be integrated into the NBF stack to ensure scalability and responsiveness to evolving governance needs.
- Global Leadership in Blockchain: The Indian government aims to position India as a global leader in blockchain technology, expanding its solutions for worldwide use, thereby promoting economic growth and digital empowerment.
Blockchain’s Role in Transforming Governance
Blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize governance in India by enhancing transparency, efficiency, and accountability in public services. Here’s how it could play a transformative role:
Transparency and Accountability:
- Immutable Records: Blockchain creates a decentralized ledger where data is stored in an immutable and secure manner, ensuring that records cannot be tampered with or altered. This transparency would enhance accountability across government functions, such as land records, electoral processes, and subsidy distribution.
- Auditable Transactions: Every transaction recorded on the blockchain can be traced, making it easy to audit government activities. This could reduce corruption and ensure funds are used appropriately.
Efficiency in Public Services:
- Streamlining Processes: Blockchain can help automate bureaucratic processes such as issuing certificates (birth, death, property) or contracts, reducing the time and resources needed for verification.
- Smart Contracts: These self-executing contracts with predefined conditions could simplify complex government processes, such as the disbursement of welfare schemes or government tenders, eliminating the need for intermediaries.
Data Security:
- Decentralized and Secure: Blockchain’s distributed nature ensures that data is stored across multiple nodes, reducing the risk of hacking or data breaches. This is especially critical in handling sensitive information, like health records or financial transactions.
Examples of Blockchain Applications in Governance:
- Land Records: States like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have started using blockchain to digitize land records, ensuring secure, transparent, and tamper-proof property ownership.
- Voting: Blockchain could revolutionize electoral systems by enabling secure and transparent e-voting, reducing voter fraud and ensuring free and fair elections.
Conclusion
The National Blockchain Framework is part of India’s broader push toward digital governance and creating a robust digital infrastructure across sectors.
The objective of initiating NBF is to develop an extensible framework with a Blockchain technology stack on distributed infrastructure towards addressing the challenges such as the need for skilled manpower towards building Blockchain-based applications, vendor lock-in and research challenges related to security, interoperability, performance and other aspects.
The NBF is a consortium mode effort towards addressing research challenges and harnessing the benefits of the technology to develop applications in association with Government organizations. Several patents and research publications are generated as part of this initiative.
Blockchain technology, through initiatives like the National Blockchain Framework, can transform governance in India by promoting transparency, reducing inefficiencies, and securing public services against manipulation.
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-Article by Swathi Satish
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