India’s Tamil Nadu state adopts ‘ethical’ blockchain policy

Tamil Nadu has announced its blockchain policies, becoming the first state in India to release its safe and ethical artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and cybersecurity policies.

The adoption of these ethical blockchain policies was revealed by Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami in the event of the valedictory session of the 19th edition of Connect 2020, The New Indian Express reported.

During the event, the Chief Minister further revealed that Tamil Nadu plans to unveil a project that will provide Knowledge Proof Identity-based services delivery. According to Palaniswami, these services will revolutionize the way by which the government provides services to its citizens.

This project will be carried out through the establishment and leveraging of the State Family Database (SFDB) and Block-Chain Backbone infrastructure.

The launch of the Blockchain Backbone infrastructure in the state will create a forum which will aid partnerships between start-ups, industry and academia, which, in turn, is expected to build a sustainable ecosystem.

While discussing about the launch of the three policies, the Information Technology secretary, Hans Raj Verma said that these policies are foundational in leveraging AI and blockchain technology.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA), Santosh Mishra, reportedly said that the launching of the policies is a transformative phase for emerging technologies in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

“With the emerging technologies, the government will build an eco-system to derive its maximum usage,” he said.

According to Mishra, the Tamil Nadu e-governance goal of the Safe and Ethical AI Policy is to promote the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the general good of everyone. This policy will also keep AI safe and ethically compatible with human values.

In the same vein, the cybersecurity policy, is being designed to protect the information assets of the government. Such assets include infrastructure, software and citizen services. The policy will also maximize the availability of these information to the government and the citizens.

As Tamil Nadu seeks to adopt the technology, there is a high chance that other Indian states will also adopt their own blockchain solutions and policies.