canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/apisetu.gov.in/asrb

# Apisetu Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board

The Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) API integrates with India's DigiLocker platform to issue digital merit certificates for the National Eligibility Test (NET-I and NET-II). Candidates who qualified in the 2019 cycles can pull their results directly into a verified DigiLocker record using a single endpoint. The API is part of API Setu, the Government of India's gateway for citizen-facing document services, and is intended for integrators that already operate inside the DigiLocker ecosystem.

## For AI agents

Fetch ASRB NET merit certificates for a candidate as a verified digital document via API Setu and DigiLocker.

## Scope

Does not handle exam registration, application submission, or non-NET ASRB recruitment categories - use for retrieving NET-I and NET-II 2019 merit certificates only.

## Capabilities

- Pull a candidate's ASRB NET merit certificate as a verifiable digital document
- Authenticate certificate requests with the X-APISETU-APIKEY and X-APISETU-CLIENTID header pair
- Submit candidate identifiers in a POST body to /mrcer/certificate and receive a DigiLocker-compatible payload
- Embed verified ASRB qualification proofs into citizen-service applications integrated with DigiLocker
- Replace manual certificate uploads with a tamper-evident government-issued record

## Use cases

### Agricultural Recruitment Verification

Government bodies and ICAR-affiliated employers verifying candidates for agricultural scientist positions can pull the official ASRB NET merit certificate directly from API Setu rather than asking applicants to upload PDFs. The /mrcer/certificate endpoint returns a DigiLocker-compatible record that is signed at source, removing the need for manual document checks.

Example prompt: Call POST /mrcer/certificate with the candidate's roll number and registration details, receive the signed merit certificate, and attach it to a recruitment record.

### DigiLocker Issuer Integration

DigiLocker partner applications that surface academic and employment qualifications can list ASRB NET merit certificates alongside other government documents. Integrating the ASRB endpoint lets users fetch their certificate once and reuse it across job applications, scholarship submissions, and academic admissions without re-uploading.

Example prompt: Authenticate with X-APISETU-APIKEY and X-APISETU-CLIENTID, request the candidate's ASRB merit certificate, and store the issued document reference in the user's DigiLocker wallet.

### Academic Records Aggregation

EdTech platforms and academic CV builders that compile a candidate's verified credentials can pull the ASRB NET merit certificate as one component of a wider portfolio. Because the source is a government-issued document, downstream consumers can trust the qualification claim without additional verification steps.

Example prompt: Retrieve the ASRB merit certificate for a verified candidate and include it in a credentials bundle returned to a hiring portal.

### AI Agent Credential Verification

An AI agent assisting with government recruitment workflows can use Jentic to call the ASRB endpoint without managing API Setu API key rotation directly. Jentic handles credential isolation and surfaces the single available operation through intent search, so the agent only needs to request the certificate and pass through the candidate identifiers.

Example prompt: Search Jentic for 'fetch ASRB merit certificate', load the operation schema, and execute it with the candidate's roll number on behalf of a recruitment agent workflow.

## Key endpoints

| Method | Path | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| POST | /mrcer/certificate | Issue an ASRB NET merit certificate for a qualified candidate. |

## Key resources

- **Merit Certificate** — Issue a digitally signed ASRB NET merit certificate for a qualified candidate via the single POST /mrcer/certificate operation.

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** Wiring the ASRB certificate API by hand means setting up its API Setu key, packaging the certificate request, and parsing the merit certificate response yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import the ASRB API from the API Directory, store the key once, and your agent calls it.
- **Permission scoping:** The ASRB API exposes a single certificate operation that takes its lookup fields in the request body, so scope the agent to that one operation. You choose the allowed operations, so the agent only calls what you list.
- **Credential handling:** Your API Setu key is stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. It never enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'retrieve an ASRB NET merit certificate', and Jentic returns the matching ASRB operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without browsing the reference docs.

## Related APIs

- **Kerala Public Service Commission** — Sister API Setu endpoint that issues KPSC certificates and tickets via DigiLocker.
- **Factorial HR API** — Use Factorial HR to attach verified ASRB credentials to an employee record once recruitment completes.
- **Clio API** — Attach verified government certificates to matter records when recruitment dispute or contract work requires documentary proof.

## FAQ

### What authentication does the ASRB API use?

The ASRB API requires two header credentials: X-APISETU-APIKEY (the API Setu API key) and X-APISETU-CLIENTID (the integrator's client ID). Both are issued by API Setu after onboarding. When called through Jentic, these credentials stay encrypted in your Jentic One instance and never enter the agent's prompt context.

### Can I retrieve other ASRB exam results with this API?

No. The spec exposes a single operation, POST /mrcer/certificate, scoped to NET-I and NET-II 2019 merit certificates. Other ASRB exam cycles or recruitment categories are not part of this API's surface.

### What are the rate limits for the ASRB API?

API Setu does not publish a global limit in the OpenAPI spec; rate limits are negotiated per integrator during DigiLocker onboarding. Treat the operation as low-volume and cache fetched certificates rather than re-requesting on every page load.

### How do I fetch a candidate's merit certificate through Jentic?

Run pip install jentic, then search Jentic for 'ASRB merit certificate', load the schema for POST /mrcer/certificate, and execute the call with the candidate's identifiers. Jentic injects the X-APISETU-APIKEY and X-APISETU-CLIENTID headers from your stored credentials. Run it through Jentic One, the self-hosted execution layer.

### Is the ASRB API free to use?

API Setu is a Government of India platform and the ASRB endpoint is provided to onboarded integrators without per-call charges. You must, however, complete the API Setu and DigiLocker partner onboarding to receive credentials.

### Does the ASRB API return a verifiable document or just data?

POST /mrcer/certificate returns a DigiLocker-compatible certificate payload that is digitally signed at source. Downstream systems can present it as a verified government document rather than as ad-hoc JSON.

### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the ASRB API?

Yes. The ASRB API exposes a single operation, POST /mrcer/certificate, which takes its candidate lookup fields in the request body, and Jentic One runs self-hosted so your own rules decide which operations and credentials the agent may use. You allowlist just that one certificate-fetch operation, so the agent can only pull a candidate's ASRB NET merit certificate and nothing else. Your API Setu key and client ID stay stored by your own instance and are injected at execution time, so the agent scopes to exactly the calls you permit.