It seems not every government official in India has an eye toward draconian or restrictive blockchain regulation, as we’ve seen this year from some in the country’s government. In the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, where they have the APIS – Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society, blockchain is being actively promoted at various levels of government.

In particular, native major tech firm and blockchain development company Tech Mahindra’s Eleven01 gets a lot of love in the region. They’ve now entered a partnership with APIS to promote blockchain in using all means necessary – everything from events to educational and mentorship programs.

In association with Eleven01, the organisation will explore the prospects of the blockchain technology through events, activities and mentorship programs to nurture talent and develop a community. The alliance will focus on fostering the creation of the finest blockchain development ecosystem in Andhra Pradesh.

They are getting support from some of the region’s highest ministers, including J A Chowdary, IT Advisor and Special Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister, Government of Andhra Pradesh, who said:

We truly appreciate what the Eleven01 team is trying to do and we are happy to associate with them to bring advanced development and innovations with regard to the blockchain realm in the state.

Andraha Pradesh Leading The Way In India

Andraha Pradesh has already been using blockchain tech for keeping land records as well as vehicle titles. In many ways this puts them far ahead of most western jurisdictions, where government interaction with blockchain has so far been to “study,” regulate, or prosecute it, without any actual beneficial integration taking place at the administrative level.

Other potential uses at the government level, which high-level partnerships such as this make all the more possible, are things such as voting, accountability tools like civil service complaints and anonymizing them to protect whistleblowers, and benefits distribution.

Eleven01’s chief product officer Ramachandran Iyer said:

The association with the government of Andhra Pradesh is quite invaluable to our team. We visualise India to be a blockchain-hub and the support from the state here brings us a step closer to achieving that. Together, we will contribute towards the development of the best blockchain-ready talent pool and innovations in the state.

The moves will likely culminate in more positive developments for blockchain in the region, with national regulations set to be developed by the Indian government this month.

Featured image from Shutterstock.