Indian State of Telangana to Sign MoUs With Blockchain Firms, Streamline Gov’t Services

Published at: July 27, 2018

The Indian state of Telangana announced it will sign several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with blockchain firms as to eventually implement the technology in state applications, local Indian news agency the Business Standard reports July 26.

Telangana IT Secretary Jayesh Ranjan revealed that the state is planning to enter into MoUs with a number of blockchain-focused firms in order to implement the technology in “six or seven government applications.”

According to the government official, the measure aims to bring more transparency and efficiency to public services provided by the state. However, Ranjan did not specify what areas of state services would be affected by the upcoming blockchain deployments.

Speaking at an official press conference for the 1st edition of the International Blockchain Congress July 26, Ranjan claimed that the state is set to sign the agreements during the event.

The International Blockchain Congress will be held at Telangana’s capital Hyderabad from Aug. 3 till 4. The finishing day of the event is set to be held in Goa on Aug. 5. The upcoming event is expected to be attended by more than 3,000 participants, featuring over 80 speakers including officials in regional governments and U.S. billionaire tech investor Tim Draper.

Draper re-entered the Indian market in February 2017, having left in 2016 due to an alleged lack of “rule of law,” prompting Draper Fisher Jurvetson to sell their entire Indian portfolio. While impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s anti-corruption initiatives in the country, the tech investor has criticized India’s negative stance on cryptocurrencies.

State and municipal governments have increasingly been adopting blockchain technology to make their operations more secure and efficient. On July 25, the Government of Catalonia revealed its plans to implement blockchain tech in all areas of public administration by the end of 2018. The Generalitat de Catalunya wants to promote the technology “with the aim of improving digital services to the public and promoting the potential of this technology between the Administration, companies and the citizen[s].”

Earlier this month, the Riyadh Municipality in Saudi Arabia, teamed up with tech giant IBM to develop a strategy for enhancing government services and transactions through the use of blockchain tech. The partnership was made in accordance with a decision by the Government of Saudi Arabia to work on improving the quality of municipal services and integrate leading technologies as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 program.

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