A robust foundation for digital India initiatives

 

Realizing the need for a unified digital identity framework, the government enacted the Aadhaar Act in 2016 to provide legal backing to the Aadhaar digital ID system. This allowed the collection of biometric data and assigning a unique ID number to every citizen - laying the groundwork for seamless service delivery. In this blog, we explore how Aadhaar has proven foundational for Digital India initiatives by enabling paperless transactions, direct transfers and easy authentication, thus bringing inclusive growth within reach.

 

Everyone has a digital identity

To ensure universal coverage, Aadhaar required deploying an uncompromising biometric system at the national scale. NEC India contributed its pioneering multi-modal biometrics technology to fulfil this need. The system can uniquely identify over 1.3 billion Indian citizens by checking multiple biometrics - fingerprints, face and iris scans.

With processing power to handle over 1 million registrations daily and rapidly search through 1 billion+ citizen records, the system provided by the IT services provider enabled seamless, accurate and secure enrolment into Aadhaar. Its scalable and robust biometrics platform laid the bedrock for establishing digital identities, driving financial inclusion and integrating service delivery across India's vast population.

The reason why biometric identification was chosen for over 1 billion people

A big concern about having a credible identification system is that there should be no duplication. Recording the biometrics of a person, like fingerprints, face images and iris images, will ensure that a person is registered only once. These biometrics are unique for a person, and they can be used to generate a unique number.

Biometric identification for over 1 billion people offered numerous benefits

Aadhaar has transformed service delivery by enabling paperless, presence-less processes. Citizens can now open bank accounts instantly with eKYC using Aadhaar, eliminating lengthy KYC processes. Pensioners simply need to register their Aadhaar number to get pensions directly in their accounts without cumbersome annual life certificates. Applicants can apply for passports online using Aadhaar and get them delivered home within days. By linking Aadhaar with bank accounts, the government now digitally transfers subsidies, entitlements and wages into beneficiaries' accounts with direct benefit transfers. LPG subsidies, scholarships, and MGNREGA payments - all reach securely and transparently. Financial inclusion has accelerated with Aadhaar seeding bank accounts. Overall, Aadhaar has made accessing services and benefits easier, reducing citizens' need to make multiple visits to offices for the same work. It has enabled anytime, anywhere service delivery.

Biometric identification for over 1 billion people has ensured more transparency

By establishing unique digital identities, Aadhaar eliminates middlemen and ghost beneficiaries, bringing transparency to social subsidies. Attendance systems integrated with Aadhaar biometrics reduce truancy and pay fraud. Bogus identities used to siphon government funds, like fake teachers or workers, can be detected through Aadhaar-linked audits. Aadhaar has enabled de-duplication, allowing authorities to disconnect fake connections and cards used for pilfering subsidies. Overall, Aadhaar improves beneficiary authentication and prevents leakages, resulting in major savings for welfare schemes and governance overhaul through data-driven decision-making.

 

Biometric information has been deemed confidential.

The Aadhaar Act designates all collected biometric data as sensitive personal information that must be securely stored as encrypted electronic records. It makes UIDAI responsible for ensuring complete data confidentiality and safety. Aadhaar data is captured using UIDAI's secure software and further encrypted for transit. Stringent security and storage protocols protect the integrity of Aadhaar data at rest and in motion. Violations by any entity attempting unauthorized access or tampering with data are punishable under the Act's penal provisions. Overall, multifaceted technological and legal safeguards enforce the sanctity of Aadhaar data, upholding the privacy and interests of citizens.

Conclusion

By establishing unique digital identities and enabling presence-less, paperless services, Aadhaar has proven foundational to Digital India - its secure biometric platform, legal safeguards and transformed delivery of benefits have brought transparency, inclusion and empowerment within reach for over a billion citizens nationwide.