Traditionally, our wallets or purses have carried essential documents such as our driving license, ID cards, etc. We have all experienced the panic that comes with losing our wallets, either directly or through stories narrated by our friends.
Additionally, the wear and tear of physical documents is a major problem that affects their use. For example, your driving license could be easily scratched or lose its colour, or the print could fade after a period of time, rendering it ineffective from an identification standpoint.
With mobile phones, we now have the facility to carry vehicle documents digitally. The best part, we even have government-accepted methods of doing so. So, the next time a cop stops you while driving and asks for your RC book, you can show it to them on your phone.
Two apps can help you carry your vehicle documents digitally - DigiLocker and mParivahan. Let's learn about them in detail.
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DigiLocker
What is DigiLocker?
The Government of India launched DigiLocker in 2015 as an initiative toward paperless governance. It allows you to store and produce your documents securely and in a government-accepted manner. Some examples of documents include school mark sheets (Class X and Class XII), educational degrees, driving licenses, vehicle registration, ration card, Aadhaar card, insurance papers, etc. You can see the complete list of documents here.
DigiLocker is currently used by 105 million users and has more than 5 billion documents. Additional document categories are added to the website every year.
How to Use the DigiLocker App?
The DigiLocker app is compatible with both Android and iOS phones. The instructions for using the app are given below for your convenience -
- Download DigiLocker on your Android or iOS phone and select your preferred language. The app supports 12 languages as of now.
- Click on the "Create Account" button on your screen. Do note that to create an account on DigiLocker, you need an Aadhaar card. You will be asked for:
- Your full name and date of birth.
- Your phone number and Aadhaar card number.
- You would use a six-digit security PIN to sign in to your account later.
- You will receive an OTP to verify your account after filling in the above information. Note that the experience is seamless if your phone number is linked to your Aadhaar card. If they are not linked, you can still use DigiLocker, but your number on the app will not get updated on your Aadhaar card.
- Enter the OTP to verify your account.
- Once the account is verified, you will see the list of documents that could be needed on your screen.
- Navigate to the "Browse" option on the app and search for the document you wish to add, for example, "driving license." Click on the document you need.
- You will then see a bunch of issuers for the document. For example, you will see a list of State Road Transport Departments issuing the documents for your driving license. Select the state that created your driving license.
- Next, you may be asked for your Aadhaar card number, date of birth and driving license number as per your original driving license.
- Once you submit these and click on "Get Document," your document will show up in the "Issued Documents" section on the app.
- The next time you need to use your driving license, you can just open the app using your PIN and open the document.
- Similarly, you can have documents like your insurance papers, education certificates and health documents (including vaccination certificates) on DigiLocker.
mParivahan
What is mParivahan?
mParivahan was launched by the Union Ministry for Road Transport in 2017. The app has been downloaded more than 10 million times so far.
It offers information about registered vehicles in India and can also be used to store your virtual driver's license and RC book.
As is suggested by the name, the usage of the mParivahan is more specific to road transportation, offering more services than just storing and verifying documents. For example, using mParivahan, you can verify a vehicle's age and registration details when buying a second-hand vehicle.
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How to Use the mParivahan App?
Just like DigiLocker, mParivahan is designed to be easy to use. Here are the steps for using the mParivahan app to carry your vehicle documents digitally:
- Download the mParivahan app on your Android or iOS phone. On opening the app, you will be asked to select a language.
- You will then see a page that asks you to create a virtual RC or DL. You can also search for an RC number to get the details of vehicles.
- To create an account, tap on the three dots menu on the left and tap on sign in.
- You will be asked for your phone number, after which you will get an OTP that you need to enter.
- Once this is done, you can create your RC / DL.
- Click on the "Create a Virtual RC" option. You can then type the vehicle registration number (on your number plate) and click the search icon. You will now see many details about your vehicle.
- Click on "Add to Dashboard for Virtual RC". You will be asked for the last four digits of your vehicle's engine and chassis number for verification.
- Add the information, and your RC will be available to you. You will also be able to see the challans linked to your RC.
- The process of adding a driving license is primarily the same as your RC. You can click on the "Create a Virtual DL", after which you will have to search for a DL number. Follow the instructions to get your DL added to mParivahan.
You can now share these documents whenever requested.
The advantage of the mParivahan app is that it also allows you to share your RC information with others for a pre-defined period. For example, if you are lending your vehicle to someone else for a month, you can share your vehicle's RC with them for that period.
DigiLocker vs mParivahan - Which One to Use?
It depends on the utility purpose. If you intend to use an app to carry your vehicle documents and other personal documents, consider using DigiLocker. But if you want to use an app for vehicle information, pay challans and taxes, then consider using mParivahan.
Since the government accepts both apps, you should not expect any issues using one vs the other.
