uidai

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is a government body created to issue Unique Identification Numbers (UID), which is also known as ‘Aadhaar number’ to all the residents of India. The UIDAI is responsible for Aadhaar enrolment and authentication and issue of Aadhaar cards to citizens. It shall also be responsible for operation management for the Aadhaar allotments, developing policies, processes and systems for the issue of the Aadhaar number, and adhering to strict security of the identity of the individuals. 

The first Aadhaar number was issued in September 2010 to a resident of Maharashtra. As of 30 November 2022, the Authority had issued more than 135.1071 crore Aadhaar numbers to residents across India.

Latest UIDAI News

30 September 2023: The last date to submit the Aadhaar card as a KYC document for small savings schemes.

30 June 2023: The last date to link Aadhaar with PAN card to prevent PAN from being inoperative.

14 June 2023: The last date to update documents for the Aadhaar card issued 10 years ago free of cost, after which a fee of Rs 50 will be charged.

27 May 2022: The government issued an advisory asking people to share masked Aadhaar copies instead of sharing the original Aadhaar card or their photocopies.

31 December 2021: The last date for employees to link their Aadhaar cards with their Universal Account Number (UAN) to get PF contributions.

30 November 2021: Government Introduces Unique Face Recognition Tech for Pensioners.

8 November 2021: The government allows offline Aadhaar verification for the e-Know Your Customer (e-KYC) process.

13 July 2021: Delhi HC seeks UIDAI, Centre’s response on issuance of new Aadhaar number to existing card holders.

15 May 2021: UIDAI clarified that the Aadhaar number not compulsory to avail Covid treatment or vaccine.

UIDAI Introduces a New Service: Order Aadhaar Card

Background of UIDAI

UIDAI is a statutory authority established under the Aadhaar Act, 2016 by the Government of India, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

UIDAI and Aadhaar

It is the brainchild of Sir Nandan Nilekani, who had the vision to deliver a unique identification number to each Indian, which would eliminate duplicate/fake identities cost-effectively. The government introduced Aadhaar, which also supports verification and authentication. The Unique Identification Authority of India was created to issue a 12-digit Unique Identification Numbers (UID) under Aadhaar to all the residents of India, besides other responsibilities mentioned above.

Objectives of UIDAI

The primary objective of the UIDAI is to issue a UID for every individual to prevent duplication of identities and for verification and authentication of identity in a cost-effective manner. 

Services provided by UIDAI

The UIDAI provides various services relating to Aadhaar online as well as offline. The following are the services offered by the UIDAI:

• Aadhaar enrolment services:
  • Locating an enrolment centre
  • Booking appointment at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra
  • Checking Aadhaar status
  • Downloading Aadhaar
  • Order Aadhaar PVC card
  • Check Aadhaar PVC card status
• Update Aadhaar services:
  • Update Aadhaar at enrolment centre
  • Check Aadhaar update status
  • Update demographics data and check status
  • Check Aadhaar update history
• Other Services
  • Verification of Aadhaar number
  • Verification of mobile number and email ID
  • Locking and unlocking of biometrics
  • Logging of complaints
  • Retrieve lost of forgotten EID/UID
  • Virtual ID (VID) generation
  • Aadhaar paperless offline e-KYC
  • Aadhaar authentication history
  • Aadhaar lock and unlock service
  • Aadhaar SMS services

Individuals can visit the official UIDAI website to access Aadhaar online services. They can get Aadhaar services offline through Aadhaar enrolment centres or Aadhaar Seva Kendras.

In an ongoing process of linking all the identity cards (driving license, PAN, voter ID, passport) and accounts (bank accounts, mobile numbers, etc.) with Aadhaar card, the government is mandating the linkage in a phased manner. Initially, it mandated to link the PAN and the bank account with the Aadhaar. Now, the government has made it mandatory to link PAN with Aadhaar. 

m-Aadhaar

The UIDAI has released a new app for android and IOS users to enable Aadhaar holders to download their Aadhaar card on mobile phones and keep it handy. The app is known as the mAadhaar app. The app allows you to do the following:

• Profile creation: The Aadhaar profile can only be created if you have a registered mobile number
• You can lock and unlock your biometrics information
• Virtual ID generation

Let’s look at the steps on how to create a profile in this app?

• Input your 12-digit Aadhaar number.
• Ensure that your mobile connection is active, key in the details and click on verify.
• Enter the OTP sent to your registered mobile number, and your profile will be created.

The mAadhaar app also provides the following benefits:

• Aadhaar holders can easily lock and unlock their biometrics identification services anytime.
• A holder can share his eKYC through message or email directly.
• One can now use the time-based OTP facility of the mAadhaar app, which will be valid for only 30 seconds.
• This app allows the users to share the details using the QR code, preventing any data leakage.
• A holder can order a newly printed Aadhaar card from the mAadhaar app by providing aadhaar details for the verification process and making a payment.

Role of UIDAI

In addition to the services offered, the UIDAI plays a vital role in ensuring confidentiality, good governance, and developing methods to provide a more robust system. Some places where the UIDAI plays an important role are:

• To develop policy, procedure and system for issuing Aadhaar numbers to individuals who request the same by submitting their demographic information and biometric information by undergoing a process of enrolment.
• To ensure availability, scalability and resilience of the technology infrastructure.
• To ensure the security and confidentiality of individuals’ identity, information, and authentication records.
• To ensure compliance with Aadhaar Act by all individuals and agencies.
• To make regulations and rules consistent with the Aadhaar Act, for carrying out the provisions of the Aadhaar Act.

UIDAI Ecosystem

At the core of the system, the UIDAI has two procedures:

• Enrolment and Update 

The enrolment procedure consists of registrars and enrolment agencies. In coordination with the registrars, the enrolment agencies set up enrolment centres where residents can enrol for Aadhaar. Multiple fingerprint scanners, iris scanners, and cameras certified by the UIDAI are set up and connected to the UIDAI-designed standard Application Programming Interface (API). A registrar is an entity authorised or recognised by UIDAI to enrol individuals. Enrolment agencies are appointed by registrars and are responsible for collecting demographic and biometric information of individuals during the enrolment process by engaging certified operators/supervisors.

• Authentication 

The UIDAI has set up a scalable procedure for instant authentication of residents. The Aadhaar authentication ecosystem can handle tens of millions of authentications daily and can be scaled further as per demand. The Unique Identification Authority of India has appointed several Authentication Service Agencies (ASAs) and Authentication User Agencies (AUAs) from various governments and non-government organisations.

Organisational Structure of UIDAI

Unique Identification Authority of India (“Authority/UIDAI”) has its Head Office (HO) in New Delhi and eight Regional Offices (ROs) across the country. UIDAI has two Data Centres, one at Hebbal (Bengaluru), Karnataka and another at Manesar (Gurugram), Haryana

Composition of the Authority
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) consists of a Chairperson, two part-time Members and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who is also the Member-Secretary of the Authority. The present composition of the Authority is as under:

Chairperson (Part-time): Sh. Neelkanth Mishra

Member (Part-time): Prof. Mausam

Member (Part-time): Sh. Nilesh Shah

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sh. Amit Agrawal, IAS (CG:93), is the legal representative and administrative head of the Authority.

The DDGs are assisted by Assistant Directors General (ADGs), Deputy Directors, Section Officers and Assistant Section Officers. The HQ has a total sanctioned strength of 127 officers and staff members, including the accounts and IT branches. Each regional office is headed by a Deputy Director General (DDG). The support structure comprises assistant director general, deputy director, section officers, assistant section officers, senior accounts officer, accountant and personal staff.

Grievances Redressal of UIDAI

Grievances at UIDAI are received through the following modes:

• Call to toll-free number 

Grievances can be lodged by calling the toll-free number of the UIDAI - 1947. The grievances are examined and then forwarded online to the concerned officer to dispose/resolve them.

• Post 

Residents have an option to post their grievances to the headquarter or regional offices of the Unique Identification Authority of India. The grievances are examined and then forwarded in hardcopy to the concerned officer/public grievance officer at UIDAI. The concerned regional office/concerned section disposes of the grievance by replying directly to the complainant under intimation to the grievance cell, UIDAI.

• Public Grievance Portal  

Grievances are received by the UIDAI through the public grievance portal – pgportal.gov.in. Grievances can also be registered on the UIDAI website by entering the required details. The grievances are examined and then forwarded online to the concerned officer to dispose/resolve them.  

• Email

Grievances can be sent to the following email - help@uidai.gov.in. The emails are examined and forwarded to the concerned officers. The involved officer disposes of the grievance by replying to the complainant over email under intimation to the grievance cell.

UIDAI Regional Offices

State Offices & their Jurisdiction

Latest updates of UIDAI- Masked Aadhaar

The use of Aadhaar has increased over the past few years and we use it for multiple cases and rather casually. With fraudulent practices on the rise, we need to be careful and cautious about whom we share our Aadhaar number/card with and how we share them. Our Aadhaar numbers can be used to steal personal information. To add another layer of security and protect all your sensitive and personal information that is linked to your Aadhaar, UIDAI issues Masked Aadhaar.

A Masked Aadhaar reveals only the last four digits and hides or masks the first eight digits of your Aadhaar number. The Masked Aadhaar were being issued since the last 5 years but not many were aware of it. UIDAI recently issued an advisory to increase awareness amongst people and promotethe use of Masked Aadhaar.

How to download a Masked Aadhaar?  

1. Visit myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in and ‘Login’.
2. Login using your 12-digit Aadhaar number by doing an OTP verification.
3. Click on ‘Download Aadhaar’ under the ‘Services’ section
4. Select the option ‘Do you want a masked Aadhaar?’ and click on ‘Download’
5. Your masked Aadhaar will now be downloaded successfully in a password protected PDF format.
6. The password shall be the first four letters of your name (as per Aadhaar) in CAPITAL letters and your year of birth in YYYY format.

Aadhaar PVC card

The UIDAI has created an online service called "Order Aadhaar PVC Card" that enables Aadhaar holders to get their Aadhaar details printed on PVC cards by paying small fees. Residents can order using a non-registered or alternative mobile number if they do not have a registered mobile number.

How to order Aadhaar PVC online

Step 1: Please Visit https://uidai.gov.in/en/ or https://myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in/genric PVC Click on “Order Aadhaar Card” Service.
Step 2: Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar Number (UID) or 28-digit Enrollment ID.
Step 3: Enter the security code. If you have TOTP, choose the option “I have OTP” by clicking in the check box else, Click on the “Request OTP” button.
Step 4: Enter the OTP received on your registered mobile number. Click on the check box next to “Terms and Conditions.”

Step 5: Click on the “Submit” button to complete OTP/TOTP verification.
Step 6: Click on “Make payment”. After successful payment, an electronic receipt will be generated, which the resident can download in PDF format. Residents will also receive the Service Request Number via SMS.

Security features of the Aadhaar PVC Card

This card contains security features like:
1. Tamper-proof QR Code
2. Hologram
3. Micro text
4. Ghost image
5. Issue Date & Print Date
6. Guilloche Pattern
7. Embossed Aadhaar Logo

Charges to be paid for Aadhaar PVC Card

Charges to be paid are Rs.50/- (Inclusive of GST & speed post charges).

The payment can be made using Online Mode of Payment. Residents can use following payment methods while making payment:-
1. Credit Card
2. Debit Card
3. Net Banking
4. UPI
5. Wallets

Can changes be made to the Aadhaar PVC card

According to the UIDAI website, “If residents want some changes in the details of printed Aadhaar letter or PVC Card, then they first have to update their Aadhaar by visiting Permanent Enrollment Center or SSUP portal (depending on update) and then raise the request for Aadhaar PVC Card only after the update is successful”.