MeitY Constitutes High-Level Committee for Harmonization of Regulatory Framework of DigiLocker; Panel to Review Digital Locker Rules and Chart Future Roadmap

1. At a Glance

• MeitY has constituted a high-level committee to undertake a legislative review of Digital Locker Rules and chart a future roadmap covering Entity Locker, Ecosystem Expansion and Commercialization of the Digital Locker System. [S1]
• Panel chaired by Shri Ajay Sawhney, Former Secretary, MeitY, with legal experts, tech experts and industry representatives as members. [S1]
• Significance for UPSC: links Digital India, IT Act 2000, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), Viksit Bharat vision, and e-governance reforms.

2. Why in the News

• Introductory meeting held on 24 February 2026 at Electronics Niketan, CGO Complex, New Delhi. [S1]
• Members deliberated on the role of the Digital Locker Ecosystem in advancing Viksit Bharat goals — Ease of Living for citizens and Ease of Doing Business for organisations. [S1]

3. Background & Evolution

• DigiLocker launched under the Digital India Programme by MeitY as a flagship secure document-access platform. [S2][S4]
• Statutory backbone: Information Technology (Preservation and Retention of Information by Intermediaries providing Digital Locker facilities) Rules, 2016, notified on 8 February 2017 under the IT Act, 2000. [S2]
• Rule 9A equates DigiLocker-issued/pulled digitally-signed documents with original physical documents. [S2]
• Entity Locker developed by National eGovernance Division (NeGD) as an extension of DigiLocker, aligned with the Union Budget 2024-25 vision for digital governance. [S3]

4. Core Static Facts

• Parent Ministry: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). [S1][S3]
• Nodal implementing body: National eGovernance Division (NeGD). [S3]
• Enabling statute: Information Technology Act, 2000; operationalised via the IT (Digital Locker Facilities) Rules, 2016. [S2]
• Committee Chair: Ajay Sawhney, former Secretary MeitY. [S1]
• Committee composition: legal experts + tech experts + industry representatives. [S1]
• DigiLocker scale: > 37.046 crore users; 776 crore issued documents available on the platform. [S3]
• Cognate NeGD platforms: DigiLocker, Entity Locker, UMANG, API Setu, myScheme, OpenForge, Meri Pehchaan, India Stack Global, UX4G. [S3]
• Entity Locker beneficiaries: large corporations, MSMEs, trusts, startups, societies. [S3]

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Legal / Constitutional - Committee mandate is legislative review of the 2016 Rules to align with the current technical and legal landscape (incl. DPDP Act 2023 era data-protection regime). [S1] - Rule 9A grants legal equivalence of digital documents with physical originals — judicial admissibility under IT Act 2000. [S2]

Economic - Commercialization of Digital Locker System is an explicit TOR — opens private-sector monetisation/B2B use. [S1] - Entity Locker lowers compliance/KYC frictions for MSMEs and startups → supports Ease of Doing Business. [S1][S3]

Scientific / Technological - Forms part of India Stack / DPI trust layer — cited by MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan as the "trust layer" between citizens, ministries and departments. [S4] - Interoperability with UMANG, API Setu, e-District — NeGD has integrated nearly 2,000 e-Gov services on DigiLocker/e-District. [S3]

Administrative / Governance - Single-window verifiable credential infrastructure replacing paper certificates across Union & State issuers. [S2][S4] - Roadmap on Ecosystem Expansion signals scaling of issuer/requester onboarding.

6. Recent Developments (last 12-18 months)

• 24 Feb 2026 — High-Level Harmonization Committee's introductory meeting under chair Ajay Sawhney. [S1]
• 2024-25 — Entity Locker rolled out by NeGD as a DPI for organisations, aligned to Union Budget 2024-25. [S3]
• NeGD achieved pan-India integration of ~2,000 e-Government services on DigiLocker and e-District platforms. [S3]
• Industry consultation meeting on Engaging Dialogue on Entity Locker held at MeitY. [S3]
• DigiLocker rolled out for e-Bank Guarantees (real-time digital document execution). [S3]

7. Prelims Hooks

• DigiLocker is governed by Rule 9A of the IT (Preservation and Retention of Information by Intermediaries providing Digital Locker facilities) Rules, 2016. [S2]
• Rules notified on 8 February 2017 under the IT Act, 2000. [S2]
• Implementing agency: National eGovernance Division (NeGD) under MeitY (not NIC, not UIDAI). [S3]
• DigiLocker user base: >37.046 crore users; 776 crore documents issued. [S3]
• Entity Locker target users: large corporations, MSMEs, trusts, startups, societies. [S3]
• Entity Locker is anchored to the Union Budget 2024-25 DPI vision. [S3]
• High-Level Committee chair: Ajay Sawhney, former Secretary MeitY. [S1]
• TORs: (i) legislative review of Digital Locker Rules (ii) roadmap for Entity Locker (iii) Ecosystem Expansion (iv) Commercialization. [S1]
• Introductory meeting venue: Electronics Niketan, CGO Complex, New Delhi. [S1]
• Related NeGD platforms: UMANG, API Setu, myScheme, OpenForge, Meri Pehchaan, UX4G, India Stack Global. [S3]
• DigiLocker described as the "trust layer" of India's digital governance by Secretary MeitY S. Krishnan. [S4]

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-II: e-Governance — applications, models, successes, limitations; Government policies for vulnerable sections (citizen services).
• GS-III: Awareness in IT; achievements of Indians in S&T; indigenisation; cyber security; Digital Public Infrastructure.
• Likely question stems: 1. "Examine the role of DigiLocker and Entity Locker as components of India's Digital Public Infrastructure in advancing the Viksit Bharat vision." 2. "Discuss the need for harmonizing the regulatory framework of DigiLocker in light of evolving technological and data-protection regimes." 3. "DigiLocker is the 'trust layer' of Indian e-governance. Critically evaluate."

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• IT Act, 2000 — parent legislation enabling digital signatures and intermediary rules.
• Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 — informs the "legal landscape" the panel must align with.
• India Stack & DPI — Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker, ONDC stack.
• UMANG, API Setu, e-District — interoperating MeitY platforms.
• Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial & Other Subsidies) Act, 2016 — adjacent identity-credentials regime.
• Union Budget 2024-25 DPI announcements — fiscal anchoring of Entity Locker.
• National eGovernance Plan / Digital India Programme — umbrella scheme.
• e-Sign / Aadhaar-based authentication — underlying trust services.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• DigiLocker is run by NeGD under MeitY, not by NIC or UIDAI.
• The governing rules are under the IT Act 2000, not under the DPDP Act 2023.
• Entity Locker ≠ DigiLocker — Entity Locker targets organisations (MSMEs, trusts, startups), DigiLocker targets individual citizens.
• The 2016 Digital Locker Rules were notified in February 2017, not 2016 — date trap.
• Committee chair Ajay Sawhney is a former Secretary MeitY (current Secretary is S. Krishnan). [S1][S4]

11. Sources

• [S1] MeitY Constitutes High-Level Committee for Harmonization of Regulatory Framework of DigiLocker — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2232361 — (tier: 1)
• [S2] Information Technology (Preservation and Retention of Information by Intermediaries providing Digital Locker facilities) Rules, 2016 — https://www.indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/1362 — (tier: 1)
• [S3] 'Entity Locker': A Digital Public Infrastructure for streamlined business document management — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2094574 — (tier: 1)
• [S4] DigiLocker serves as the trust layer… S Krishnan, Secretary MeitY — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2187686 — (tier: 1)