Ahmedabad’s Municipal Corporation Begins Scouting for Blockchain Developers: Here’s Why

The blockchain technology that makes for the foundation of all things Web3 has managed to stir intrigue around its use cases around the world, including in India. In a fresh development, the municipal corporation of Gujarat's Ahmedabad city in India has pushed out a notification seeking blockchain developers. The city wishes to use blockchain to revamp the storage and maintenance of city-wide records, which includes personal details of its residents. India is home a large set of blockchain developers, who make up for 12 percent of the global pool.

In its official notice, the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) said it was seeking an agency that could develop and maintain a blockchain-based platform that would be used for the authentication of documents issued by the AMC. Additionally, the platform is also intended to allow the citizens of Ahmedabad to process the transaction of certificates that are issued by the AMC.

Presently, the city is dependent on manual records that leaves a margin for inaccuracies and errors in record keeping. By deploying a blockchain-based solution, the city aims to maintain the integrity of development rights certificates, birth and death certificates as well as fire NOC certificates among other documentation.

“The AMC currently manages the authentication of different certificates manually, including issuance and transfer of Transferable Development Rights (TDR) manually through physical ledgers. To streamline and secure this process, the AMC seeks to develop a blockchain-based platform to manage the crediting and debiting of TDR and authenticate transfer of certificates,” AMC said in its post, that is making the rounds on job-seeking platform LinkedIn.

Blockchain firms or developers who wish to be considered for this project have till October 10 to submit their online bids to the AMC and till October 11 to submit physical bids at the AMC office. The final contract will be for three years and six months.

The bidders will have to execute a technical presentation of the platform they design for the AMC. The date for this presentation remains unannounced for now.

In its notice, the AMC has said that using blockchain for the paperwork would make the process transparent, secure, efficient, and available 24x7 for the citizens, while also giving the AMC features like real-time monitoring of data alongside reduction in manual interventions and paper-based documentation among other benefits.

India's non-government Web3 advisory body, the Bharat Web3 Association (BWA), reacted to the development, highlighting the growth of blockchain in governance sector.

“Web3 grows across government services! BWA welcomes the AMC's vision; a significant step towards transparency and efficiency in public services with blockchain technology!” the BWA noted.

In July 2024, the Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation (BSEDC) had announced plans to implement a blockchain system designed to enhance e-governance and support IT businesses within the state. Telangana and Maharashtra are among other states that are testing blockchain use cases.

In 2023, former Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar had said India was committed to supporting startups that were working around blockchain. At the time, a centre of excellence (CoE) in blockchain technology was established in collaboration with MeitY, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), Government of Haryana, Padup Venture Private Limited, IBM, Intel, Global Blockchain Association (GBA), and Foundation of Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) to identify and evaluate blockchain startups.

Last week, India's IT ministry (MeitY) unveiled a suite of blockchain platforms aimed at empowering Indian developers to build secure, transparent, and reliable digital solutions around e-Stamps solution, judiciary application, forensic application, consent management framework, IoT device security management, and domicile certificate chain alongside tracking of agriculture produce and inspection system for child care institutions.