Source: TH
Context: The Office of Registrar General of India (RGI) has been granted permission by the Centre to perform Aadhaar authentication during the registration of births and deaths in the country.
- Aadhaar is not mandatory for such registration.
- The Registrar General of India’s office can voluntarily authenticate the Aadhaar numbers collected during the registration process to verify the identity of individuals. State governments and Union Territories must adhere to MEiTY’s guidelines regarding the use of Aadhaar authentication.
| What is Aadhaar Authentication (AA)? | Aadhaar authentication is a process that verifies the identity of an individual using their Aadhaar number. It is mainly used for availing government services and schemes. |
| Entities currently allowed to perform AA | Government ministries and departments; Some private entities like banks and telecom companies (for KYC authentication and only if UIDAI was satisfied with regard to standards of privacy and security). |
| Purpose of AA | For the interest of good governance, preventing leakage of public funds, enablement of innovation, the spread of knowledge, and promoting ease of living and enabling better access to services for residents. |
| Legal provision | Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Rules, 2020 |
| Concerns | Supreme Court (2018) struck down Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, which allowed the use of Aadhaar data by private companies, deeming it “unconstitutional” for establishing the identity of an individual. |
| What is the Aadhaar number? | A 12-digit unique identity number issued by UIDAI, a statutory authority under MeitY, on behalf of the Government of India. It is based on an individual’s biometric and demographic data. |
