Digital India recently completed 11 years since inception, on 1 July 2026, with the aim of strengthening digital public infrastructure to make governance more transparent, accessible and citizen-centric, a PIB release says.
In the education sector, Digital India has supported the development of digital platforms that promote lifelong learning, academic mobility and secure digital credentials in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) and the National Academic Depository (NAD) are among the key initiatives driving this transformation.
The Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), an initiative of the Union Ministry of Education and regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC), is a digital platform for storing, transferring and redeeming academic credits earned by students from recognised higher education institutions.
It supports the NEP 2020 and the National Credit Framework by enabling Multiple Entry-Multiple Exit (MEME), credit transfer and flexible learning pathways.
Integrated with APAAR (Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry), ABC provides every learner with a unique lifelong academic identity, enabling secure access to academic records across school education, higher education, skill development and other recognised learning programmes through a unified digital platform.
As per latest data, 2,963 higher education institutions have registered on the ABC platform, more than 26.29 crore APAAR IDs created, and over 110.65 crore academic records uploaded, reflecting the growing adoption of the digital academic ecosystem across the country.
ABC simplifies academic administration by replacing physical documentation with secure digital records, enabling students to access, transfer and redeem academic credits online.
It also facilitates faster verification of academic credentials for admissions, scholarships, internships and employment, reducing paperwork while enhancing transparency and trust.
The National Academic Depository (NAD) is a 24-hour online repository of academic awards that enables educational institutions to issue, store and verify academic certificates, degrees, diplomas and mark sheets in a secure digital format.
Developed under the Digital India programme, NAD provides learners with anytime-anywhere access to authenticated academic records while enabling institutions, employers and government agencies to digitally verify credentials.
By replacing physical certificates with digitally authenticated records, NAD reduces administrative costs, minimises paperwork and eliminates the risk of loss or damage of academic documents.
Secure online verification also helps curb the use of forged certificates while improving transparency and efficiency in admissions, recruitment, scholarships and other public services.
Together, the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), APAAR and the National Academic Depository (NAD) are strengthening India’s digital academic ecosystem by:
- Providing secure digital academic records, reducing dependence on physical certificates and minimising the risk of loss, damage or forgery.
- Enabling anytime, anywhere accessto academic credits, certificates and mark sheets through an integrated digital platform.
- Supporting flexible learningby facilitating academic credit transfer and Multiple Entry-Multiple Exit (MEME) in line with NEP 2020.
- Accelerating admissions, scholarships and employmentthrough faster digital verification of academic credentials by educational institutions, employers and government agencies.
- Reducing paperwork and administrative burdenby replacing manual verification and repetitive documentation with authenticated digital records.
- Strengthening Digital Public Infrastructure through integration with DigiLocker and other Digital India initiatives, enabling secure exchange and interoperability of academic records.
The integration of ABC, NAD, APAAR and DigiLocker has created a connected digital academic ecosystem that enables secure storage, seamless exchange and digital verification of academic records.
Together, these initiatives promote interoperability among educational institutions, support academic mobility and facilitate lifelong learning in line with the objectives of NEP 2020.
