Blockchain-based digital degrees awarded at NIT Rourkela convocation

The National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela becomes the first NIT in the country to give blockchain-based digital degrees on its 19th convocation to over 1500 students. The convocation was held on 13th August, 2022.

The college developed the degrees with the help of the C3i Innovation Hub of IIT Kanpur, under the support of the National Blockchain Project. Candidates will get an OTP on their registered mobile number and their email ID, which will give them access to a portal that contains their degrees. They will also be able to download them in a pdf format.

The official press release explained that the blockchain system works on the decentralization principle, meaning that the control is on a distributed network and not in the hands of any one person. All the information in a blockchain is sequentially recorded and stored with the exact timestamp. Since it cannot be altered, it is a tamper-proof transcript. Students will have a secure and tamper-proof examination to share their degrees with prospective employers. It will also make the employer’s job easier as they can verify the degrees.