Transitioning Nomination Forms to Digital: Are There Government Guidelines We Should Know?

Dear Sir/Madam, my query pertains to nomination forms in our organization. Currently, we are accepting the following nomination forms in hard copy format. My question is, can we transition to maintaining these forms in soft copy format using the following methods:

1. Gratuity nomination form
2. PF Nomination form No. 2

We plan to upload the nomination forms onto our HRMS software. Employees will then download the forms from the portal, print them out, fill them in with their signature, and send them back to us so that we can file them in their personal file.

One significant benefit for the company is that currently, we send hard copies through courier to all locations across India, and they send them back to us via courier as well. This process results in a substantial wastage of printing and courier costs that could be saved.

Is there any notification from the government authority regarding the maintenance of nomination forms in soft copy?

Thank you.

Digital Document Legitimacy Under the Information Technology Act of 2000

As per the Information Technology Act of 2000, any document in digital form is as valid as a hard copy. The digitized record is considered as good as the original; the only proof required is that it has not been tampered with or modified after being signed. The improvised method meets the requirement since you have a hard copy with the original signature available in the file.

Thanks KKHR for the reply, but my point is I don't want to keep any hard copy. I will take the printout and file it instead of a handwritten copy. Is it okay from a compliance point of view?

Maintaining Soft Copy of Documents

You will need to ensure that the soft copy is kept safe from any tampering or virus attacks, as it serves as the original document. The printout is merely an additional document and will not serve as the original. Subject to this, you can proceed.