E-Aadhaar: You’ll soon be able to do everything sitting at home, says UIDAI CEO | India News
NEW DELHI: In a few weeks, you may not need to provide photocopies of Aadhaar and will instead be able to share electronic Aadhaar, either in full or the masked version, using a new app based on QR code.And, by November, other than submitting your biometric details, you will not be required to visit Aadhaar centres to update address and submit other details as the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has lined up a new protocol that will draw from the birth certificate, matriculation certificate, driving licence, passport, PAN, PDS and MNREGA database to seek your address and other details to not just simplify life for citizens but also reduce the possibility of forged documents being used to get Aadhaar. Talks are underway to access the electricity bill database which will make it more convenient.UIDAI chief executive officer Bhuvnesh Kumar told TOI that a new app has been developed by the agency and around 2,000 of the one lakh machines have now moved to the new tool. “You will soon be able to do everything sitting at home other than providing fingerprints and IRIS,” he said. This will include updating addresses, phone numbers, name change and even rectification of a wrong date of birth. The move to allow QR code-based mobile-to-mobile or app-to-app transfer of Aadhaar is seen to be crucial to check against misuse and is proposed to be used for several purposes – from checking in at hotels to identity verification on a running train. “It offers maximum user control over your own data and can be shared only with consent,” Kumar said.
This can also be used by sub-registrars and registrars at the time of property registration, where frauds often take place. Kumar said UIDAI is sensitising state governments to use Aadhaar to verify the credentials of those coming to register property, so that some of the frauds can be prevented. He said UIDAI has also initiated talks with CBSE and other exam boards to ensure biometric and other data updation of children, which is required to be done between five and seven years and again between 15 and 17 years. A special drive is planned so that the eight crore missing details for the first update (for kids between five and seven years) and 10 crore second update can be completed. Separately, UIDAI is also working with various players, such as security agencies, hotels, for covering entities that are not mandated to use Aadhaar.
