Delhi University degrees to have 'currency-like' security features to avoid duplication

NEW DELHI: Delhi University degree certificates will now come with more than a dozen "currency-like" security features such as a hidden image, invisible ink logo, and micro text to make them "nearly impossible" to forge, an official said on Monday. The special degree, which will be awarded to more than 2.25 lakh students during DU's centenary convocation in February, will for the first time include a coloured image of the students and their mother's name.

"These special degrees will be nearly impossible to forge as they will have over a dozen security features like the ones present in currency notes. The quality of the paper is also being enhanced to make it 100 per cent water, heat, and electricity resistance thereby making them everlasting," Ajay Arora, Officer on Special Duty, Examination, told PTI. He said if a degree is photocopied, the duplicate will spell out an indicator message such as "void" or "copy" because of the presence of the void/copy pentagraph security feature.

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The new degree certificates will have gold, silver, red, and rainbow colour foiling in the background and a logo which will not only make it visually appealing but also tamper-proof due to the fine line design which is hard to copy. Besides, the certificate will have a QR code to scan the details of the students, a watermark logo security feature, a bar code and variable serial number for the unique identity of each certificate, and relief text to make the degree visibly distinguishable from a forged one, he said. The hidden image, invisible ink logo along with reverse microtext feature present in the certificate will work like a currency note that will help people easily recognise and differentiate between a real and a fake degree, he said.

Furthermore, the new degree certificate will be non-tearable and eraser protected as it will be printed on a paper made up of polyethylene/terephthalate, among other chemical compounds which will also make it weatherproof and durable, Arora said. It will have a thickness of 280 microns and 350 GMS with a glossy finish and archival quality, he said. The degree certificate will also be colour-resistant and will not deteriorate in quality even at 200 degrees Celsius.