The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which has enrolled nearly all of India’s adult population since 2010, is now looking to expand Aadhaar to cover a person’s entire life cycle with two ambitious pilot programs, a news outlet reported on Wednesday.
According to a Economic period According to the report, newborns will be given a temporary Aadhaar number to be renewed with biometric data on reaching majority, as UIDAI prepares to launch the programs to deepen its reach across the country.
“Assigning a UIDAI number at birth will ensure that children and families benefit from government programs and that no one is left out of the social safety net,” HEY quoted an official as saying.
The teams will visit the families of the newborns and complete the formalities of registering their biometrics, after which a permanent Aadhaar number will be assigned, according to the report, adding that once a child turns 18, the biometrics will be re-registered to ensure that multiple identifiers are not generated for the same child.
Over 1.31 billion Aadhaar cards have been issued in India till December 2021, with over 99.7% of adults covered.
In the age group of 5-18 years, Aadhaar coverage is estimated at 93%, according to the HEY report. The report adds that only a quarter of children under five are registered in the identity database.
UIDAI also plans to contact public and private hospitals to obtain data on deceased persons to ensure that there is no duplication.
Rising death rates due to the Covid-19 pandemic have led to more cases of direct benefit transfers still being paid to the Aadhaar number of deceased citizens, according to the report.
Pensions of recently deceased people are still withdrawn or automatically credited to their accounts as the Aadhaar number is still active, he added.
Aadhaar number is a 12-digit random number issued by UIDAI to residents of India after passing the verification process established by the Authority. Anyone, regardless of age and gender, residing in India can voluntarily register for an Aadhaar number. The person wishing to register must provide a minimum of demographic and biometric information during the registration process, which is free.
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