Bhutan’s Crown Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck became the first digital citizen of the nation. Read to know more about the new digital identity system of Bhutan.
What is the Bhutan National Digital Identity (NDI) all about?
The new Bhutan National Digital Identity (NDI) mobile wallet is the nation’s new identity system using “cutting-edge technology”. On Tuesday, Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck’s seven-year-old son became the nation’s first digital citizen. “Bhutan NDI uses cutting-edge technology to provide citizens with secure and verifiable identity credentials, ensuring the privacy and protection of their personal information,” stated the King’s official Instagram page.
“The system uses the ‘self-sovereign identity’ model based on Decentralised Identity (DID) technology, which gives people more control over their personal information and who can access it,” added the official note. Crown Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck is the first child of queen Jetsun Pema and King Jigme Khesar. Moreover, the Bhutanese heir to the throne is known as “The Gyalsey”. In June 2022, he undertook his first official engagement.
More on the digital citizen system
The new digital citizen system will roll out to all Bhutanese citizens gradually. Moreover, this is the first sovereign government to create a nationwide digital identity system in a self-sovereign framework. The system is hailed as a “major step forward in transforming the way services are delivered in both public and private sectors”.
The new system is developed by Druk Holding and Investments (DHI). The government is aiming to introduce a positive change for citizens to interact with the government. “Bhutan NDI will hence ensure that the citizens and residents can access the services they need securely and efficiently. We also aspire to be pioneers in this technology space in solving problems within and beyond our boundaries,” stated Ujjwal D. Dahal. Dahal is the Director of Druk Holding and Investments InnoTech.