In another step forward, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Tuesday rolled out Aadhaar authentication services to speed up cash transfers through the banking system for welfare schemes.
“The authentication services will be the first of its kind and a game changer in the identity systems to make public services efficient and transparent and empower the individual,” said Mr Nandan Nilekani, Chairman, UIDAI, said at a workshop here.
He, however, clarified that the system could be effective only with partnership and co-operation from State governments, Central Ministries and the other agencies concerned.
Under the system, the Aadhaar biometric data will be fed into a Central Identities Data Repository for verification against data stored locally in, say, smart cards, BPL cards and so on.
“We are already working with the Rural Development, Food, Oil and HRD Ministries to scale up services. Within the next year, we should have a huge programme on the ground,” he said.
On security issues, Mr Nilekani said various procedures were being reviewed before enrolment restarted in April and “security was one of them.”
The services to be covered include fertiliser subsidies, cash transfers for foodgrain, LPG and kerosene, wages for the rural employment guarantee scheme, pensions and educational scholarships.
STATE RESIDENT HUBS
The Director General and Managing Director of UIDAI, Mr R.S. Sharma, said, “with 133 million Aadhaar numbers, it had become the largest biometric database in the world”.
He said the Aadhaar database would be seeded with State-level data to create State Resident Hubs, which would help authenticate an individual beneficiary's identity. “The data can also be linked to bank account numbers, mobile numbers and other identifiers. It can also help service delivery agencies check a person's credit history or medical records,” he said.
“It's like a global online identity that can be digitally authenticated anywhere and accessed,” he added.
On data privacy concerns, Mr Sharma said authentication queries would only be responded by a yes/no, no other details would be shared.
On January 27, a Cabinet Committee had extended UIDAI's mandate till June next year, to enrol 40 crore more people, taking the total to 60 crore. Twenty crore people have already been enrolled.