Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)

What is UIDAI

Established as a statutory authority on July 12, 2016, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, UIDAI is tasked with assigning Aadhaar numbers and managing the entire Aadhaar lifecycle. The authority defines mechanisms for linking Aadhaar with partner databases, maintaining the central database, and updating records.

The Aadhaar database is housed in state-of-the-art facilities in Bengaluru and Manesar, featuring over 7,000 servers. It stores residents' demographic information (name, age, gender, address) and biometric data (photographs, fingerprints, and iris scans). Since the issuance of the first Aadhaar in September 2010, UIDAI has aimed to eliminate duplicate and fake identities through robust verification mechanisms.

Before the enactment of the Aadhaar Act, the UIDAI functioned as an attached office under the Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog) since January 28, 2009. To formalize Aadhaar’s legislative backing, the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits, and Services) Act, 2016, was introduced as a money bill on March 3, 2016. It was passed in the Lok Sabha on March 11, 2016. This strategic move enabled the government to bypass the Rajya Sabha, where it lacked a majority. Despite criticism from opposition parties and privacy advocates, the legislation empowered UIDAI to assign Aadhaar numbers and manage its ecosystem.

UIDAI has continuously evolved Aadhaar's technological capabilities. Notable developments include the introduction of face authentication in July 2018 to assist individuals facing challenges with fingerprint or iris authentication. Platforms like DigiLocker, linked with Aadhaar, enable secure cloud-based document storage and retrieval.