Bhutan's prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck becomes country's first digital citizen

The Royal Highness of Bhutan The Gyalsey (Prince) Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck has become nation's first digital citizen by onboarding with the Bhutan National Digital Identity (NDI) mobile wallet.

According to Reports, the Bhutan NDI uses cutting-edge technology to give citizens safe identity credentials that can be verified, protecting their privacy and personal data. The "self-sovereign identification" paradigm, which is based on Decentralised Identity (DID) technology, allows users more control over who can access their personal information.

The Bhutan Live said that Jigme Tenzing, acting secretary for GovTech Bhutan, said, "We are honoured and delighted to have His Royal Highness as the first digital citizen of Bhutan. The introduction of Bhutan's National Digital Identity, which is based on the Self-Sovereign Identity paradigm, represents a significant advancement in the transformation of service delivery in the public and private sectors. This GovTech flagship project will give residents secure, verifiable digital IDs, providing a solid foundation for our future in the digital age".

According to the reports, Jigme Tenzing, acting secretary for GovTech Bhutan, said, "We are honoured and privileged to have His Royal Highness as the first digital citizen of Bhutan. The launch of Bhutan's National Digital Identity based on the Self-Sovereign Identity model, is a major step forward in transforming the way services are delivered in both the public and private sectors. This flagship initiative of GovTech will provide secure and verifiable digital identities to citizens, laying a strong foundation for our digital future. We are delighted to have worked closely with the excellent team at DHI on developing the technologies for Bhutan NDI. We hope this example of using technology to transform lives while safeguarding privacy will inspire and motivate others to follow suit."

Ujjwal D. Dahal, director, of Bhutan-based DHI InnoTech, said, "We are proud to work with GovTech Bhutan as a development partner on this important project which will help transform the way citizens and all visitors to Bhutan will interact with government and private sector organisations in the future. Bhutan NDI will ensure that the citizens and residents can access the services they need in a secure and efficient manner. We aspire to be pioneers in this technology space in solving problems within and beyond our boundaries."

Reports also suggested that the relations between India, and Bhutan are on course to scaling new heights as New Delhi has been consistently supporting its neighbour in its efforts to establish a digital infrastructure