DigiYatra CEO: We want a partner like Infosys and TCS

DigiYatra, the digital airport travel service launched by India's Ministry of Civil Aviation, is planning to bring Indian IT majors like Infosys and TCS onboard, said Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO, DigiYatra Foundation. Users of the app have been forced to download the new one, rendering the older version unusable after the DigiYatra Foundation dropped its IT solutions provider, DataEvolve.
When asked why the users were forced to redownload the app and not just upgrade it, Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO, DigiYatra Foundation told Fortune India that since Google Play Store treated the old app as new, people had to download the new one.
“To make things simpler, we have updated the old app and given a link to the new app. We had to change the package name and then the app and Play Store treat it like a totally new app. We are now handling it internally. In the longer run, we plan to have a Tier 1 or Tier 2 IT partner like Infosys, or TCS. The RFP is in process,” Khadakbhavi said.

DigiYatra, which uses biometric technology to streamline procedures at 14 major airports, had plans for an expansion by the end of May. However, user growth stalled in late March when the app became unusable on devices.
This happened because DigiYatra Foundation dropped its vendor DataEvolve following various reports alleging data breach in which certain data of passengers was compromised.
Users were left confused by the sudden unavailability of the app and lack of communication. Digi Yatra then launched a new app, rendering the previous version unusable. This caused a significant drop in users, reportedly exceeding 50%, from 4.5 million to 2 million monthly users.
“Currently, on Apple and Android, we are getting 45,000 users every day, and are reaching two million (we were at 4.5 million). We expect to reach the old numbers very soon,” Khadakbhavi noted.

Khadaknbhavi also emphasised on user privacy, stating that the new app adheres to “privacy by design” principles and does not store personal travel history.
“For us, we opted for privacy by design. Nobody anywhere is storing your travel history. We decided right at the start that we don't want to store anyone's personal identification information and then run the risk of loss, theft, leaks, breaches and so on. To eliminate this risk, we chose the decentralised ecosystem of self-sovereign identity,” the CEO highlighted.
The foundation also plans international expansion through partnerships with immigration authorities for smoother travel experiences.