What is UIDAI?

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services Act, 2016) or "Aadhaar Act 2016" on 12 July 2016 by the Government of India, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is responsible for issuing Aadhaar numbers and maintaining the Aadhaar database. The UIDAI ensures the security and privacy of the personal information collected during the enrollment process. UIDAI has taken many steps to further strengthen the Aadhaar ecosystem, by adding new technology and upgrading security features.

Aadhaar has helped reduce fraud and corruption in various government schemes and programs, including the Public Distribution System (PDS) and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA). It has also made it easier for the government to identify and eliminate duplicate or fake beneficiaries.

The Supreme Court of India has upheld the constitutionality of Aadhaar, but it has also placed some restrictions on its usage. For example, private companies cannot use Aadhaar as a means of identity verification, and individuals cannot be denied government services if they do not have an Aadhaar number.

UIDAI is mandated to issue an easily verifiable 12 digit random number as Unique Identity - Aadhaar to all Residents of India. Prior to its establishment as a statutory authority, UIDAI was functioning from 28 January 2009 as an attached office of NITI Aayog.

It has an authority to collect the biometric and demographic data of Indian residents such as photo, iris scan, fingerprints, etc. This data is stored in a centralised manner in Manesar of Haryana state.

Objectives of UIDAI

UIDAI was created with the objective to issue Unique Identification numbers (UID), named as "Aadhaar", to all residents of India that is:

1. To eliminate duplicate and fake identities
2. It can be verified and authenticated in an easy and cost-effective way

Services Offered by UIDAI

UIDAI offers all the services related to Aadhaar on its online as well as offline platforms. Some of such services offered are:

• Aadhaar Enrolment
• Locate Aadhaar Enrolment Centres
• Check Aadhaar Status
• Retrieve lost Aadhaar (UID)
• Change or update the details like address, mobile number, etc. on Aadhaar Card
• Check the status of raised requisitions
• Verify Aadhaar Number
• Virtual ID (VID) Generator
• Providing SMS services
• To generate and assign UID to the people
• Issue paperless e-KYC
• Locking and unlocking of biometrics

To get the offline services of UIDAI, you have to visit to the enrolment centre with the required documents.

Important Points about Unique Identification Number (UID) or Aadhaar

• The first UID number was issued on 29 September 2010 to a resident of Nandurbar, Maharashtra.
• UIDAI has so far issued more than 120 crore Aadhaar numbers to the residents of India.
• UIDAI has introduced QR code for offline Aadhaar verification to strengthen its privacy measures during usage.
• UIDAI has launched its 16-digit Virtual Identification (VID) Number feature on 2 April 2018. UIDAI introduced this number which can be used by the Aadhaar holder in place of his/ her original Aadhaar number to maintain privacy while availing various services.
• VID can be generated from https://resident.uidai.gov.in/web/resident/vidgeneration
• 18,000 bank branches and post offices have Aadhaar facility as on 20 June 2018
• Aadhaar is a voluntary program, and individuals can choose to enroll or not.
• All forms of Aadhaar have a digitally signed and secured QR Code.
• Aadhaar can easily be verified by scanning the QR Code, using the mAadhaar App or Aadhaar QR Scanner.
• On an average 200 crore+ Aadhaar based authentications are happening every month.
• At least 1670 central and state social welfare (DBT) and good governance schemes have been notified for the use of Aadhaar.

Contact Details of UIDAI

1947 (toll free): 24X7 IVRS Service

To avail 24X7 IVRS services, call 1947 (toll free) and avail any of the following services:

• Locate Enrolment centre
• Know your enrolment/ update status
• Know your complaint status
• Get information via SMS
• Know your Aadhaar PVC Card Status