Aadhaar : A Dream Project of the Government of India

What is Aadhaar? 
Aadhaar is a 12 digit individual identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India on behalf of the Government of India. This number will serve as a proof of identity and address, anywhere in India. Any individual, irrespective of age and gender, who is a resident in India and satisfies the verification process laid down by the UIDAI can enroll for Aadhaar.Each individual needs to enroll only once which is free of cost. Each Aadhaar number will be unique to an individual and will remain valid for life. Aadhaar number will help you provide access to services like banking, mobile phone connections and other Govt and Non-Govt services in due course.

Quick points about Aadhaar:

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            Easily verifiable in an online, cost-effective way

·         Unique and robust enough to eliminate the large number of duplicate and fake identities in government and private databases

·         A random number generated, devoid of any classification based on caste, creed, religion and geography

·         Aadhaar-based identification will have two unique features:

·         Universality, which is ensured because Aadhaar will over time be recognized and accepted across the country and across all service providers.

·         Every resident's entitlement to the number.

·         The number will consequently form the basic, universal identity infrastructure over which Registrars and Agencies across the country can build their identity-based applications.

·         Unique Identification of India (UIDAI) will build partnerships with various Registrars across the country to enroll residents for the number. Such Registrars may include state governments, state Public Sector Units (PSUs), banks, telecom companies, etc. These Registrars may in turn partner with enrolling agencies to enroll residents into Aadhaar.

·         Aadhaar will ensure increased trust between public and private agencies and residents. Once residents enroll for Aadhaar, service providers will no longer face the problem of performing repeated Know Your Customer (KYC) checks before providing services. They would no longer have to deny services to residents without identification documents. Residents would also be spared the trouble of repeatedly proving identity through documents each time they wish to access services such as obtaining a bank account, passport, or driving license etc.

·         By providing a clear proof of identity, Aadhaar will empower poor and underprivileged residents in accessing services such as the formal banking system and give them the opportunity to easily avail various other services provided by the Government and the private sector. The centralized technology infrastructure of the UIDAI will enable 'anytime, anywhere, anyhow' authentication. Aadhaar will thus give migrants mobility of identity. Aadhaar authentication can be done both offline and online, online authentication through a cell phone or land line connection will allow residents to verify their identity remotely. Remotely, online Aadhaar-linked identity verification will give poor and rural residents the same flexibility that urban non-poor residents presently have in verifying their identity and accessing services such as banking and retail. Aadhaar will also demand proper verification prior to enrolment, while ensuring inclusion. Existing identity databases in India are fraught with problems of fraud and duplicate or ghost beneficiaries. To prevent these problems from seeping into the Aadhaar database, the UIDAI plans to enroll residents into its database with proper verification of their demographic and biometric information. This will ensure that the data collected is clean from the beginning of the program. However, much of the poor and under-privileged population lack identity documents and Aadhaar may be the first form of identification they will have access to. The UIDAI will ensure that its Know Your Resident (KYR) standards do not become a barrier for enrolling the poor and has accordingly developed an Introducer system for residents who lack documentation. Through this system, authorized individuals ('Introducers') who already have an Aadhaar, can introduce residents who don't have any identification documents, enabling them to receive their Aadhaar.

 (Click here: For more info about Aadhaar )

Aadhaar: The UID brand name

The brand name of the Unique Identification number (UID) will be Aadhaar. The name and logo for the unique numbers to be issued by the UIDAI have been developed keeping in mind the transformational potential of the program. Together, they communicate the essence and spirit of the UIDAI's mandate to people across the country.

The UIDAI's mandate is to issue every resident a unique identification number linked to the resident's demographic and biometric information, which they can use to identify themselves anywhere in India, and to access a host of benefits and services. The number (referred to until now as the 'UID') has been named Aadhaar, which translates into 'foundation', or 'support'. This word is present across most Indian languages and can therefore be used in branding and communication of the UIDAI program across the country.

As Mr. Nandan Nilekani, Chairman of the UIDAI notes, "The name Aadhaar communicates the fundamental role of the number issued by the UIDAI the number as a universal identity infrastructure, a foundation over which public and private agencies can build services and applications that benefit residents across India."

·         Aadhaar's guarantee of uniqueness and centralized, online identity verification would be the basis for building these multiple services and applications, and facilitating greater connectivity to markets

·         Aadhaar would also give any resident the ability to access these services and resources, anytime, anywhere in the country

·         Aadhaar can for example, provide the identity infrastructure for ensuring financial inclusion across the country – banks can link the unique number to a bank account for every resident, and use the online identity authentication to allow residents to access the account from anywhere in the country

·         Aadhaar would also be a foundation for the effective enforcement of individual rights. A clear registration and recognition of the individual's identity with the state is necessary to implement their rights –to employment, education, food, etc. The number, by ensuring such registration and recognition of individuals, would help the state deliver these rights.

 (Click here: To apply for Aadhaar Card)

Aadhaar card, bank account mandatory for direct cash transfer :

For the direct cash transfer programme ,the Centre has made it clear that money will be transferred to beneficiaries only when they provide an Aadhaar card and a bank account number by the cut-off date in the respective districts. There should be no phased roll-out within any particular district; the entire district should switch to direct cash transfer at one-go on a given date. Working on the roll-out on a war footing, the government is according priority to digitization of beneficiary databases with names, addresses and Aadhaar numbers. All ministries are to ensure this immediately, the sources said. There must be a 95 per cent Aadhaar penetration level for all beneficiaries and over 95 per cent of the beneficiaries should have bank accounts, with all banks being Aadhaar-compliant. 

 (Click here: For checking Aadhaar Card Status )