What is BGV?
Background verification is the process of checking relevant identity, address, credential, work, or background-document signals before onboarding a person into a role, home, society, marketplace, or business workflow.
The seven verification rails
IdentityAadhaar, PAN, Voter ID, driving licence, passport, or other supported identity signals.
AddressUtility bill, rental agreement, voter record, or other supported address context.
Court/PCC/background-documentSensitive signals that require careful scope, consent, and review where supported.
EmploymentPast employer, reference, or work-history signal where available and relevant.
EducationDegree, certificate, institution, or registrar signal where supported.
ReferenceHuman reference checks, which can be useful but should not be treated as perfect evidence.
ReviewGreen, amber, red, insufficient-data, or manual-review outcomes with source context.
Flow: request to report
- Request — the requester chooses a purpose and verification package.
- Consent — the subject sees what is being requested and approves before checks run.
- Parallel checks — supported checks run through the relevant workflow.
- Review — mismatches, stale data, and sensitive signals are reviewed with context.
- Report or verdict — the output explains what was checked, what was not checked, and what needs human review.
Traditional manual process vs PRAMAAN workflow
| Step | Typical manual workflow | PRAMAAN consent-first workflow |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Often buried in WhatsApp or email. | Shown before consent. |
| Documents | Photos and PDFs circulate informally. | Selected signals are requested in-product. |
| Timing | Depends on calls, follow-ups, and vendor queues. | Digital checks can run quickly, with manual review where needed. |
| Output | Unstructured files and screenshots. | Structured report with consent reference and signal status. |
The consent moment
The consent step is not decoration. It is the point where the person being verified sees who is asking, why they are asking, and what kind of information may be checked. PRAMAAN is designed so checks run after that moment, not before it.
What BGV does not prove
- It does not guarantee future behaviour.
- It does not replace local legal, employer, society, or police requirements.
- It does not make employment decisions by itself.
- It does not prove that every public or private record source is complete.
- It should not be used to justify discriminatory screening.
Responsible-use guardrails
Use verification only for a stated purpose, minimize sensitive data, review amber or red signals with context, and keep a human decision-maker accountable for final action.