What Is Aadhaar?
After completing the required verification steps, the UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) issues 12-digit random Aadhaar numbers to Indian citizens. Any resident of India, regardless of age or gender, may voluntarily sign up to receive an Aadhaar number. The enrollment process, which is entirely free of charge, requires a minimum amount of demographic and biometric information from the person who wishes to enroll. A person only needs to enroll in Aadhaar once, and after deduplication, only one Aadhaar will be generated, as uniqueness is achieved through the demographic and biometric de-duplication processes.
Demographic information: Name, confirmed date of birth or age, gender, address, optional mobile number, and email address (optional); in the case of Introducer-based enrolment – the introducer’s name and Aadhaar number; when enrolling through a head of the family, the head of the family’s name, relationship, and head of the family’s Aadhaar number; if enrolling a child: enrolment ID or Aadhaar number of any one parent, Proof of Relationship (POR) document
Biometric information: 10 Fingerprints, 2 Iris Scans, and 1 Facial Photo
The Aadhaar number is verifiable in an online, cost-effective way. It can be used as the basis or principal identity for many government welfare systems and programmes to ensure effective service delivery, hence fostering transparency and good governance. It is distinct and robust enough to eliminate duplication and false identities. This is the first initiative of its kind in the world that offers modern digital and online IDs to individuals free of charge on such a large scale. The Aadhaar number is devoid of any intelligence and does not create demographic profiles of individuals based on caste, religion, income, health, or location. The Aadhaar number serves as identification. However, it does not confer any right of citizenship or domicile in respect of an Aadhaar number holder.
Aadhaar is a strategic policy tool that supports people-centred governance, public sector delivery improvements, increased convenience, and social and financial inclusion. Aadhaar is an instrument of distributive justice and equality since it may be used as a permanent financial address and aids the financial inclusion of the underprivileged and weaker parts of society. The Aadhaar identity platform is one of the fundamental foundations of the “Digital India” initiative, through which every resident of the country is given a unique identity. The Aadhaar programme is by far the biggest biometrics-based identification system in the world and has already accomplished a number of milestones. The Aadhaar identification platform, with its inherent properties of uniqueness, authentication, financial address, and e-KYC, enables the government of India to offer numerous subsidies, benefits, and services directly to residents of the country using only the resident’s Aadhaar number.
Usage Of Aadhaar
Numerous social welfare programmes and plans focused on the most vulnerable and underprivileged members of society are funded by the government of India as well as the state governments. Aadhaar and its platform give the government a special chance to improve the benefits programme delivery process, ensuring efficiency and transparency. By eliminating the need to produce several documents to establish one’s identity, using Aadhaar as an identity card allows recipients to get their entitlements immediately in a convenient and seamless manner.
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For Governments, Service Agencies
UIDAI only gives Aadhaar numbers to citizens after comparing their demographic and biometric information against its comprehensive database and removing any duplicates. The eradication of duplication under various programmes is made possible through Aadhaar seeding, which generates significant savings for the government exchequer. It also allows the government to establish direct benefit transfer (DBT) programmes and gives the government precise data on the beneficiaries. When providing services or benefits, implementing agencies can verify beneficiaries with the help of Aadhaar authentication, which also guarantees that benefits are being delivered to the right people. All of these actions will result in:
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- Stopping Leaks through Targeted Delivery: The authentication services provided by UIDAI are beneficial for all social welfare programmes where beneficiaries must be verified prior to service delivery. As a result, leakages will be reduced, and only the intended recipients will receive services. Examples include the supply of subsidized food and kerosene to Public Distribution System (PDS) recipients; worksite attendance of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme beneficiaries, etc.
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- Increasing effectiveness and efficiency: With the Aadhaar platform giving precise and transparent information on the service delivery mechanism, the government may upgrade its system for disbursing funds and make better use of its development funds.
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For Residents
People can use the Aadhaar system as a single source for offline and online identity verification. Once enrolled, citizens can use their Aadhaar number to authenticate and establish their identity several times via electronic or offline verification, depending on the situation. It eliminates the need for residents to provide supporting identity documents each time they want to access services, benefits, or subsidies. The Aadhaar system provides mobility for millions of people who migrate from one region of the country to another by offering portable evidence of identity that can be verified through Aadhaar verification online anytime.
Features Of Aadhaar
- Uniqueness: This is accomplished through the demographic and biometric deduplication processes. In order to determine whether or not a resident is already in the UIDAI database, the deduplication procedure compares the demographic and biometric data that were gathered during the enrollment process with the records there. A person needs to enrol in Aadhaar once, and after deduplication, just one Aadhaar number will be generated. If a resident registers more than once, subsequent registrations will be rejected.
- Portability: Aadhaar offers nationwide portability because it can be verified online from any location. This is crucial since millions of Indians move across states, from rural to urban areas, etc.
- Random number: Aadhaar number is a random number devoid of any intelligence. During the enrollment procedure, the potential enrollee is required to submit a minimum level of demographic and biometric data. Information about caste, religion, income, health, geography, etc. is not collected during the Aadhaar enrollment process.
- Scalable technology architecture: The UID architecture is scalable and open. The data of residents is maintained centrally, and authentication can be performed online from any location in the country. The Aadhaar Authentication service is designed to handle 100 million authentication requests each day.
- Open source technologies: Open source architecture eliminates reliance on individual vendor technologies for scaling, including specific computer hardware, storage, OS, and database vendors. These applications are developed with open source or open technology, are structured to solve scalability in a vendor-neutral manner, and permit the coexistence of heterogeneous hardware within the same application.
Aadhaar Enrollment
In order to enroll in Aadhaar, a person must first visit an enrollment centre, complete an application, have their demographic and biometric data collected, provide identification and residency documentation, and then obtain an acknowledgement sheet with their Enrolment ID. The highlights of Aadhaar card enrollment are:
- Enrollment in Aadhaar is free of charge.
- One may visit any approved Aadhaar enrollment centre in India with evidence of identification and proof of address.
- Numerous PoI (Proof of Identity) and PoA (Proof of Address) documents are accepted by the UIDAI process. Election photo ID cards, Ration cards, passports, and driving licenses are examples of common identification and address proofs. PAN cards and other photo IDs issued by the government are acceptable forms of identification. Water, power, and landline phone bills from the previous three months are also included in the documentation used to prove an address.
If a person does not have the aforementioned common forms of identification, a Certificate of Identity with a Photograph issued by a Gazetted Officer, Tehsildar, Village Panchayat Head, Mukhiya, or an equivalent authority (for rural regions), Superintendent, Warden, Matron, Head of an Institution of Recognized Shelter Homes or Orphanages, etc., MP, MLA, MLC, or Municipal Councilor on a UIDAI Standard Certificate Format as stipulated by UIDAI.
Certificates of Address with photos issued by Gazetted Officers, Tehsildars, Village Panchayat Heads, Mukhiyas, or their equivalent authorities (for rural areas), as well as Superintendents, Wardens, Matrons, and Heads of Institutions of Recognized Shelter Homes or Orphanages, MPs, MLAs, MLCs, and Municipal Councilors, are also accepted as valid proofs of address (PoA).
- Even if a family member lacks valid individual documents, the resident may still enrol as long as his or her name appears on the family entitlement document. In this instance, enrollment must occur before the Head of Family with valid PoI (Proof of Identity) and PoA (Proof of Address) paperwork. Numerous document formats are accepted by UIDAI as Proof of Relationship.
How To Link Aadhaar With Mobile Number
Individuals can link their Aadhaar card numbers to their mobile phone numbers by themselves or with the assistance of telecom operators. Linking an Aadhaar card number to a mobile phone is a very simple and quick process. To assist their consumers, numerous telecom providers around the country are offering door-to-door re-verification services, particularly for the elderly, those with disabilities, and those who are chronically unwell. The service centres have also installed iris scanning equipment to facilitate a smooth connection process.
How To Link Aadhaar With A Mobile Number For The First Time?
An individual can quickly link their Aadhaar and phone number for the first time by following the steps listed below:
Step 1: Find the closest Aadhaar Seva Kendra or Aadhaar Enrolment Center by visiting the UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) website or using the mAadhaar mobile app. For the same purpose, one can also call 1947.
Step 2: After visiting the Aadhaar Seva Kendra, obtain the Aadhaar Correction Form and complete the necessary information.
Step 3: Submit the form and help the executive validate the biometrics after submitting a request to the centre’s officials.
Step 4: The executive will provide an acknowledgement slip following the successful biometric authentication.
Step 5: The slip includes an Update Request Number (URN) that can be used to track the status of the Aadhaar update.
Once the mobile number is successfully linked to the Aadhaar card, an individual can access numerous Aadhaar services by entering the OTPs sent to her/his cell phone. One can call 1947, a toll-free number provided by UIDAI, to check the status of the Aadhaar update instead of using the URN. Individuals must pay a charge for the service to the authorized representative at the Aadhaar Enrollment Center. Note that it is not possible to link Aadhaar to a mobile number online. UIDAI does not currently offer any such service. For this purpose, individuals are required to visit an Aadhaar Enrollment Center.
Once a person’s cell number has been successfully registered with UIDAI, he or she can easily verify the phone number. They must simply follow these steps:
Step 1: Go to UIDAI’s official website.
Step 2: Select “Verify Email/Mobile Number” under “Aadhaar Services” from the menu.
Step 3: An individual will receive an OTP after providing the necessary information, such as the Aadhaar number, mobile number, email address, etc.
Step 4: To finish the verification process, enter the OTP before selecting the “Verify OTP” option.
How To Update A Mobile Number Linked With Aadhaar?
Following these procedures will allow an individual to update an existing cellphone number that is already associated with his/her Aadhaar.
Step 1: Visit the Aadhaar website at https://ask.uidai.gov.in/.
Step 2: After entering the registered phone number or email address and solving the captcha, click “Get OTP” or “Send OTP.”
Stage 3: Fill out the OTP received on the phone to move on to the next step.
Step 4: Pick the desired choice from the dropdown menu under “Online Aadhaar Services.”
Step 5: To update the registered mobile number, select the appropriate option and enter the required information.
Step 6: After entering the captcha code, an individual will get an OTP on the mobile number they registered. Following the OTP’s verification, select the “Save and Continue” option.
Step 7: Double-check all the information one last time, then press the “Submit” button.
Step 8: The appointment id will be displayed on the Success Screen in the following step. In order to reserve a time slot at the Aadhaar enrollment centre, use the “Book Appointment” option.
One must proceed to the nearest Aadhaar Seva Kendra after finishing the aforementioned processes. There, he/she is required to pay a small fee and supply any other information that may be required.
How to Book an Appointment?
Step 1: Find an enrollment centre after clicking “Book Appointment”. There are numerous ways to find an enrollment centre, such as centre name, Pincode, state, etc. Select the option that is most convenient and then click “Get Details”.
Step 2: Select an enrollment centre from the list provided by the site, then select a time and date that work by clicking “Book Appointment.”
Note: When picking a date, choose from the green options as the red ones have already been reserved.
Step 3: Double-check all the information and click the “Confirm” button. As soon as one clicks “confirm,” an application form in PDF format will be provided.
Link Mobile Number To Aadhaar Card Through OTP
Users have the option to use their mobile phones to request OTP from telecom providers. The OTP based is helpful to verify mobile numbers. Customers can link their mobile number to their Aadhaar Card online through the telecom operator’s website or offline by going to their store – using an OTP. The following is the step-by-step process for users to complete the linking process:
Step 1: One must visit the website of the respective telecom operator.
Step 2: Enter the mobile number that will be linked to the Aadhaar card.
Step 3: The registered cellphone number will receive an OTP from the telecom provider.
Step 4: Enter the OTP and press “Submit” to continue processing.
Step 5: To proceed, a consent notification will be shown on the screen. Enter the 12 digits of the Aadhaar card. The telecom provider will then ask UIDAI for OTP registration in a subsequent request. The UIDAI will send a consent message about the e-KYC details.
After completing the preceding steps, the user will receive a confirmation message regarding the re-verification of the Aadhaar number and mobile number.
Related Blog: How to link Aadhaar with PAN Card?
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