UIDAI Hosts a workshop on ‘Recent Initiatives for Simplifying Aadhaar Usage’

On June 1, 2022, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) hosted a workshop on 'Recent Initiatives for Simplifying Aadhaar Usage' at Vigyan Bhawan, Maulana Azad Road, New Delhi. The event focused on sharing key developments and best practices in Aadhaar Usage implemented by various departments of State/UT Governments. Amitabh Kant, CEO NITI Aayog, Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Secretary MeitY, TV Somanathan, Finance Secretary, Dr. Akhilesh Gupta, Senior Adviser, DST, and Dr. Saurabh Garg, CEO, UIDAI, among others, attended the event.

By constructing the Aadhaar-based authentication and verification infrastructure, Aadhaar has forever altered the country's digital landscape. Many Aadhaar innovations led by State/UT government schemes using the Aadhaar Platform have the potential to be game-changers in achieving financial and social inclusion at the grassroots level.

Digital identity-based systems now play a critical role in any society's social and economic growth. Aadhaar has proven to be one of the most significant innovations in Indian history. Aadhaar has provided identity to a large number of people who previously lacked it. It has bridged the digital divide by enabling e-KYC services, providing banking at the doorstep and via mobile phones, and facilitating direct cash transfers into the bank accounts of the needy and deserving recipients of the government's numerous welfare initiatives.

On this occasion, Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog, stated that, with the support of State/UT governments, Aadhaar has played a critical role in bridging the digital divide, empowering beneficiaries, bringing transparency, and saving a large sum of public money.

Aadhaar is not only the foundation of more than 350 central and 500 state/UT schemes, but it has also had a monumental exemplary impact on the digitization of public infrastructure, enabling more inclusive development. He also stated that UPI, in conjunction with this massive digital infrastructure, provides a "unique opportunity" for this futuristic technology to be used to improve transparency and governance.

Shri TV Somanathan, Finance Secretary, stated on the occasion that India has a rich legacy in science, technology, and innovation. We believe that achieving world-class scientific solutions will propel India forward. One of the most famous examples is the role of Aadhaar in PDS schemes. He also praised the fact that we, as Indians, should be proud that Aadhaar was created by us rather than copied from the Western world, and that it is one of the most successful biometric programmes in the world.

Shri Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Secretary MeitY, praised UIDAI's efforts and presented the next steps. He stated that the country is currently on the verge of another transformation. As of April 2022, more than 133 crore Aadhaar cards had been issued, with Aadhaar enrolling 99.9 percent of the adult population in the country. Aadhaar benefits almost every Indian resident, from farmers to students, by providing access to both government and non-government services.

Dr. Saurabh Garg, CEO of UIDAI, discussed Aadhaar's success over the last decade and the numerous opportunities made possible by using Aadhaar as a fundamental identity in sectors such as DBT, Education, scholarships, fintech, healthcare, and so on. He also discussed the various untapped sectors and gaps that can be exploited by leveraging Digital Identity to reach the last mile of users and achieve social and financial inclusion.

He further shared that going forward the focus of UIDAI will be on the following five major areas-

• Resident centricity & Ease of Access

• Enhancing Aadhaar usage

• Strengthening the credibility of Aadhaar

• Upgradation of Aadhaar technology stack

• International outreach of Aadhaar architecture

The event demonstrated the operation of the Aadhaar Ecosystem and the best practices followed by State/UT Government Ministries in utilizing the Aadhaar Platform for various schemes such as ePOCRA, ARPANA, KALIA, FDS, DBT Schemes, and so on.

Dr. Akhilesh Gupta, Senior Adviser DST, spoke on the occasion, highlighting the significant milestones achieved by digital India and emphasizing that technology now enables access to better services in the fields of education, health care, finance, and agriculture. It also contributes to transparency and accountability, and Aadhaar plays an important role in this regard.

The workshop ended with a vote of thanks to the Chair, speakers, and attendees, as well as a commitment to work with State/UT government departments to provide multiple avenues of growth in State/UT-based schemes, with the overall goal of providing easy access and simplifying residents' lives through the use of Aadhaar.s