Karnataka launches Digital e-Stamp system to make document stamping fully online
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government on Monday announced the rollout of the Digital e-Stamp (DeS) system aimed at strengthening efficiency, transparency and security in document stamping.
The system will allow citizens to generate stamp papers online without relying on any agent or intermediary, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said.
He said the entire stamping process is fully digital, supporting a paperless governance environment. Citizens can generate their Digital e-Stamp from home, with the service available 24×7 across the country, removing geographical limitations.
Stamp papers are used for various transactions such as the sale of properties, rental agreements and affidavits.
"As Karnataka moves toward complete digital registration, it has become essential to eliminate vulnerabilities by adopting a fully digital stamping system. Accordingly, the Government of Karnataka has introduced the Digital e-Stamp (DeS) system to strengthen efficiency, transparency and security in document stamping," Gowda said in a release.
The necessary rules have been notified, and the system has completed a successful soft launch, he said, adding that the government will soon mandate the use of Digital e-Stamps across the state.
Earlier, physical stamp papers were printed at the Nashik Security Press and supplied through licensed vendors.
However, after the Telgi scam—which exposed large-scale fraud involving counterfeit and reused stamp papers—the state discontinued physical stamp papers and introduced alternative mechanisms to ensure security and transparency.
Subsequently, Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL) was appointed to issue e-stamp papers across the state, but challenges such as duplicates, misclassification and stamp duty evasion persisted, the minister noted.
According to Gowda, citizens can now generate Digital e-Stamps on their own from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.
All payments are made through approved digital methods, ensuring safe and secure transactions.
He said the stamp content becomes part of the document itself, preventing misuse and ensuring authenticity. Documents can be digitally signed using Aadhaar-based eSign or DSC (if Aadhaar is unavailable), allowing complete digital execution.
The Digital e-Stamp system also benefits the department through enhanced security features, seamless system integration, elimination of irregularities, improved revenue assurance, cost savings and greater transparency and administrative efficiency.
Calling it a paperless and eco-friendly ecosystem, the minister said the digital system reduces dependency on physical stamp papers, promotes sustainability and lowers environmental footprint.
All digitally stamped documents are stored securely in electronic form and are legally recognised, eliminating the need for physical storage and preventing loss, damage or misuse of original documents, he added.
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Ambani, Adani pledge USD 210 bn for India's AI push
New Delhi (PTI): Conglomerates run by billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani committed USD 210 billion investment to creating infrastructure that will help India emerge as an AI development hub.
At the India AI Impact Summit, Ambani announced a Rs 10 lakh crore (about USD 110 billion) investment in artificial intelligence over the next seven years in gigawatt-scale AI-ready data centres in Jamnagar, leveraging up to 10 GW of green power surplus, and a nationwide edge-compute layer integrated with telecom and digital operator Jio's networks to deliver low-latency AI across India.
"Our resolve is clear: make intelligence as ubiquitous as connectivity," he said. "When compute becomes infrastructure, innovation will become inevitable."
Adani, on the other hand, unveiled a USD 100-billion investment to develop renewable-energy-powered, hyperscale AI-ready data centres by 2035 -- one of the world's largest integrated energy-compute commitments.
The initiative is expected to catalyse an additional USD 150 billion across server manufacturing, cloud platforms, and supporting industries, creating a projected USD 250 billion AI infrastructure ecosystem in India.
India must architect its own artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure rather than rely on imports, Adani Group executive director Jeet Adani said on Thursday, warning that AI will redefine national sovereignty.
Other major investments announced at the Summit included USD 50 billion commitment by Microsoft by the end of the decade to expand artificial intelligence access across the Global South. "India, not surprisingly, is one of the largest," its vice chair and president, Brad Smith, said.
The firm had unveiled USD 17.5 billion investment in AI investments in India last year.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a new subsea cable initiative to boost AI connectivity between India, the US and other locations, alongside partnerships for cloud infrastructure platform support to over 20 million public servants across 800 districts.
Yotta Data Services, backed by a real estate group headed by Niranjan Hiranandani, announced over USD 2 billion spend on Nvidia's latest chips in an artificial intelligence computing hub it is setting up just outside the national capital.
While Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) signed up ChatGPT parent OpenAI as its first customer for its data centre unit under the global AI infrastructure initiative Stargate, infrastructure major Larsen & Toubro announced a proposed venture with Nvidia to build AI-ready data centre infrastructure, advanced computing platforms, and ecosystem enablement required to support large-scale AI workloads.
