OnGrid – Trust Platform of India

Before dwelling further, we would like to mention that we respect the opinions and views of our platform users and partners who understand our product vision. We have therefore changed the image appearing on our website homepage. The image was misrepresenting what OnGrid stands for, which is mentioned in the post below.

OnGrid is an Aadhaar-enabled trust platform that was started in March 2016 (after incorporation in May 2015) with a vision to make identity and trust establishment easier, digital and instant. We offer other background checks like Address verification, Criminal verification, Education verification, Employment verification, Police verification, other ID verification etc. in order to establish and increase trust. The foundation to all verifications recommended by us is Aadhaar. By providing a feature on the OnGrid platform to link documents and these checks to Aadhaar, we create value for Aadhaar-holders who don’t have to go through the same checks time and again, and don’t have to submit the same document copies. This is often referred to as digital locker of documents.

Aadhaar has been issued to over 111 Crore residents of India as on 3rd February 2017. Aadhaar (UIDAI) provides API’s for authentication and eKYC to over 200 organisations (AUA’s and KUA’s), who can then offer it to other organisations called Sub-AUA’s. Aadhaar API’s were rolled out in 2012. All organisations offering Aadhaar authentication and eKYC services have to comply to guidelines laid down by UIDAI. OnGrid also offers Aadhaar authentication and eKYC services to our platform users. Any data fetch from UIDAI by use of Aadhaar eKYC API happens only after biometric or OTP consent of the individual.

One of the key guidelines laid down by UIDAI is that just by knowing or using a 12-digit Aadhaar number, nobody can retrieve information about Aadhaar-holder, and we strictly comply to the same.

Here is Aadhaar platform explained in a simplified language:

Aadhaar verification has many applications like opening of bank accounts, issuance of mobile numbers, access to welfare services such as pensions, scholarships, etc. Due to paperless nature of Aadhaar eKYC, the identification transaction becomes more efficient, and fraud/typo can be avoided. A lot of fake and duplicate records in Government welfare databases can also be eliminated, thereby reducing the subsidy bill of the Government of India. Aadhaar number and authentication platform is widely used in Direct Benefits Transfer (through APBS) and for last mile transactions (through AEPS) for those people who do not have easy access to bank branches or ATM’s in rural India. Over 40 Crore bank accounts have been linked to Aadhaar, and that will pave the next wave of innovation in digital or cashless transactions.

OnGrid uses the Aadhaar authentication and Aadhaar eKYC infrastructure to help our users establish identity in a paperless manner, and increase process efficiency and trust. By providing a function to link documents and verification reports with Aadhaar, we create value by making data and documents portable, thus reducing the need to produce the same document, or going through the same verification process again and again. An example of this can be a scenario where a person joins an organisation and goes through 3-4 background checks. When he/she joins the next organisation, the same checks can be used from the digital locker that OnGrid provides. However, in order for the new organisation to access those documents or verification reports, OTP based consent of Aadhaar-holder is mandatory.

At OnGrid, protection of data privacy and data security is of utmost importance to us, is close to our company vision and philosophy, and we believe in setting the highest standards to assure the same. Our vision is to make transactions simple, and allow Aadhaar-holders to access services such as full-time employment, on-roll and off-roll contractual jobs, access to micro insurance and micro credits, etc., without having to go through the harassment of repeatedly producing documentary evidence and verification reports. This also creates value for organisations that use our platform.