India's
largest employer begins deployment of offline facial verification and
tamper-proof blockchain records across its 1.2 million-strong workforce,
building on technology that cut ghost employee fraud by 90% in prior government
deployments
5th
May 2026 : Indian Railways has commenced the
implementation of DRISHTI, an AI and blockchain-powered Smart Workforce
Management System that uses facial recognition and tamper-proof digital records
to verify worker attendance and prevent fraud, being rolled out across the
railway network, beginning with operations in Prayagraj.
The
system, developed by ChainCode Consulting LLP
in collaboration with Billions Network, the
universal human and AI verification platform, and Aptos Foundation,
can verify entire teams from a single group photograph, works without internet
connectivity, and creates permanent, tamper-proof records of every attendance
event. It is designed for both field and office personnel across Indian
Railways' operations.
Indian
Railways is one of the world's largest employers, with more than 1.2 million
personnel operating across 7,300 stations and 18 zones. The rollout begins in
Prayagraj, with completion of the initial regional deployment expected within
three months and expansion across the wider network to follow.
Where
previous government deployments of the same technology, eliminated ghost employee fraud by up to 90%,
reduced payroll costs by 30-40%, and halved payment delays, the Indian Railways
implementation brings those proven standards to a new, high-profile use case
with the potential to set a global precedent for workforce governance at scale.
Managing attendance verification across a workforce this large and geographically spread has historically been vulnerable to ghost employee fraud and administrative inefficiencies, challenges that DRISHTI is designed to address directly.
The
system works offline, a critical requirement for railway operations in remote
and rural areas where internet connectivity is unreliable. It can identify
multiple workers simultaneously from a single photograph and locks every record
on the Aptos blockchain, making it impossible to alter after the fact. The
platform also handles supervisor approvals, real-time reporting dashboards,
task allocation, and leave management.
"AI-driven
smart solutions with blockchain security are key to good governance. By combining
facial recognition with blockchain's permanent, traceable records, we eliminate
major security risks and give organizations greater control over workforce data
integrity," said Alok Gupta, Founder and CEO, ChainCode Consulting LLP.
ChainCode
Consulting has previously pioneered blockchain-based attendance and identity
platforms for different India's Government Bodies and contributed digital
verification infrastructure for MahaKumbh 2025, one of the world's largest
gatherings.
"Every
worker in a system this vast deserves to be accurately identified and fairly
compensated without that requiring handing over sensitive personal data. That's
the problem we're solving: identity verification that works for people. What
India is building here shows how the world's largest institutions can operate
with both accountability and dignity," said Evin McMullen, CEO and
Co-Founder of Billions Network.
Billions
provides the decentralized identity and reusable identity infrastructure
underpinning DRISHTI, building on the company's proven track record in
high-stakes verification, including joint proofs-of-concept with Deutsche Bank
and HSBC for advanced KYC solutions.
Ashwin Pampati, SVP and Head of Ecosystem
at Aptos Foundation, added:
“Reliable, high-performance blockchain infrastructure is essential for
nation-scale public-sector systems like DRISHTI, where data integrity, security
and auditability are non-negotiable. Aptos provides a strong blockchain
foundation that supports exactly these requirements.”
About
Billions
Billions.Network (formerly Polygon ID) is the leading human and AI
verification platform, built on mobile-first verification to scale the internet
of value globally. Created by the stewards of the world's leading
zero-knowledge verification framework, Circom, Billions secures the work of
major organizations and blockchain ecosystems serving over 150 million users
globally. The platform provides privacy-preserving digital identity solutions
that work across both Web2 and Web3 applications.
For
more information, visit https://billions.network.
About
ChainCode Consulting LLP
ChainCode
Consulting is a blockchain and AI technology firm specializing in
enterprise-grade decentralized solutions for government and private sector
clients. Founded in 2019, the company delivers secure, scalable identity
verification, supply chain traceability, and blockchain infrastructure across
industries including healthcare, financial services, and public administration.
ChainCode has been recognized among Bangalore's Top 50 FinTech Companies and
received the Blockchain Leader of the Year award at SmartTech Asia Innovation
Awards 2025. For more information, visit https://www.chaincodeconsulting.com/.
About
Indian Railways
Indian
Railways is a statutory body under the Ministry of Railways, Government of
India, and operates the country's national railway system. With more than 1.2
million employees, it is the world's ninth-largest employer and India's
second-largest employer.
For
more information, visit https://indianrailways.gov.in.
About
Aptos
Aptos
is a Layer-1 blockchain designed for scalability, security, and sub-second
transaction finality. Founded in 2021 by Avery Ching and Mo Shaikh, former
leaders of Meta's Diem blockchain initiative, Aptos is built on the Move
programming language, developed for secure smart contract execution. The
network has processed over 4.4 billion transactions and has established
strategic partnerships with BlackRock, Google, Mastercard, and Franklin
Templeton.
For
more information, visit https://aptosnetwork.com/