State-level workshop on ABC, NAD, DigiLocker and APAAR organized at ITM University

Raipur – Under the guidance of the Higher Education Department, Government of Chhattisgarh, ITM University, Raipur successfully organized a one‑day state‑level workshop on "Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), National Academic Depository (NAD), DigiLocker and APAAR". The workshop aimed to promote effective implementation of digital academic systems under NEP‑2020 and to create awareness and capacity among higher‑education institutions in the state regarding ABC, NAD, DigiLocker and APAAR. Vice‑Chancellors, Registrars, exam controllers, principals, deans, faculty and administrative officials from government and private universities across the state participated. The programme commenced with a lamp‑lighting ceremony and the state song. Prof. (Dr.) Lakshmi Murti, Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor of ITM University, Raipur, in her welcome address emphasized the need for digital transformation in higher education and affirmed the university’s full commitment to implementing all digital initiatives of NEP‑2020 and the Higher Education Department. In her special address, Mrs. Rita Yadav, Commissioner of Higher Education, Chhattisgarh, stressed the need to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in the state, stating that every student completing school education must be linked to higher education and no student’s education should be halted midway. She explained that APAAR ID, being integrated with school and higher education, will play a crucial role in continuously tracking students’ academic progress and will make the education system more transparent and effective. Mr. Arun Sinha, Joint Director of the Higher Education Department, urged all institutions to ensure timely student registration and digitisation of academic records for the effective implementation of ABC, NAD, DigiLocker and APAAR. The chief speaker, Mr. Abhinav Sharma, Joint Coordinator, Digital India Corporation (DIC), National e‑Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, elaborated on the objectives, benefits, implementation challenges and best practices of ABC, NAD, DigiLocker and APAAR, providing practical guidance to institutions for effective use of these digital platforms and compliance with NEP‑2020. In the technical session, Mr. Rohit Singh (State Coordinator, Chhattisgarh) and Ms. Anisha (State Coordinator, Jharkhand) discussed institutional registration, data verification, workflow and technical challenges in detail. The Q&A session addressed participants’ queries. In the review session, Mr. Himanshu Verma and Mr. Shoeb Ansari of the Higher Education Department reviewed the implementation progress of ABC, NAD, DigiLocker and APAAR across various state institutions, noting significant progress in digitising academic records through NAD in most institutions and urging the remaining ones to complete the process promptly to ensure 100 % implementation of digital academic initiatives under NEP‑2020. In her concluding remarks, Prof. (Dr.) Lakshmi Murti, Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor of ITM University, reiterated that the university will continue to organise collaborative programmes, workshops and capacity‑building activities under the guidance of the Higher Education Department to further strengthen the digital academic governance in the state. The event concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Dr. Jelis Subhan, Associate Professor and Head of the School of Law, expressing gratitude to all guests, resource experts, Higher Education Department officials, Digital India Corporation representatives, participants and the organising committee. Through this workshop, participants gained valuable insights on the effective implementation of ABC, NAD, DigiLocker and APAAR, digital academic record management and compliance with NEP‑2020, reinforcing collective commitment of all institutions to strengthen the digital higher‑education ecosystem and increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in the state.