Thimphu: Bhutan's Royal Highness the Gyalsey (Prince) Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, became the country's first digital citizen by onboarding with the Bhutan National Digital Identity (NDI) mobile wallet.
The media reports that Bhutan's NDI uses cutting-edge technology to give citizens safe identity credentials that can be verified, protecting their privacy and personal data. The "self-sovereign identification" paradigm, which is based on Decentralised Identity (DID) technology, allows users more control over who can access their personal information.
Jigme Tenzing, acting secretary for GovTech Bhutan, was quoted by The Bhutan Live as saying, "We are honoured and privileged to have His Royal Highness as the first digital citizen of Bhutan. The launch of Bhutan's National Digital Identity based on the Self-Sovereign Identity model, is a major step forward in transforming the way services are delivered in both the public and private sectors. This flagship initiative of GovTech will provide secure and verifiable digital identities to citizens, laying a strong foundation for our digital future. We are delighted to have worked closely with the excellent team at DHI on developing the technologies for Bhutan NDI. We hope this example of using technology to transform lives while safeguarding privacy will inspire and motivate others to follow suit."
The media said that because New Delhi has constantly assisted its neighbour in developing a digital infrastructure, relations between India and Bhutan are on track to reach new heights.
Bhutan and India are working together on a number of technological projects. Under Bhutan's flagship programme, "Digital Drukul," an optical fibre backbone has been made available at the village level in each of the country's 20 districts, according to media reports.