New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS) In a major development, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Thursday announced enabling a service enhancement to citizen services through the enablement of the Passport Verification Record (PVR) on the DigiLocker platform.

The service was launched in a collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

DigiLocker is a secure, cloud-based platform under the Digital India programme that enables issuance, storage, sharing, and verification of digital documents and certificates.

This initiative marks a significant step in advancing the vision of Digital India by simplifying document management for citizens and reducing reliance on physical records. The availability of PVR on DigiLocker offers multiple direct benefits to citizens.

With this integration, Passport Verification Records can now be securely accessed, stored, shared, and digitally verified within the DigiLocker ecosystem, through both the web portal and mobile application, promoting paperless, contactless, and citizen-centric service delivery.

Upon successful verification, citizens will be able to fetch their respective Passport Verification Records in the “Issued Documents” section of their DigiLocker account.

This integration will enhance the convenience and accessibility of official verification documents (OVD) for citizens while ensuring that their records remain secure, trusted, and digitally verifiable within the DigiLocker ecosystem.

Additionally, digital access to PVR is expected to significantly streamline verification-related processes in areas such as travel, employment, and compliance, thereby reducing manual paperwork and saving time for both citizens and institutions that rely on verified passport records.

Moreover, PVRs made available through DigiLocker are issued in digital form directly by the relevant government systems, ensuring authenticity, integrity, and protection against tampering, in line with DigiLocker’s secure architecture.

At the same time, citizens will be able to digitally share their PVR with authorised requesters through DigiLocker, enabling instant, consent-based access and verification, and reducing the need for attested photocopies or multiple physical submissions.

The integration of PVR with DigiLocker represents a pivotal milestone in modernising citizen services and strengthening India’s digital public infrastructure. It reinforces the ‘Citizen-First’ approach by combining secure digital records with user-friendly access, thereby enhancing transparency and trust in government processes.

–IANS

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