The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and the Registrar General of India will soon roll out a mechanism to deactivate a deceased person’s Aadhaar card, according to a ToI report.
The report further stated that the mechanism will be implemented in collaboration with state governments. The initiative will necessitate family members sharing information about the deceased person, and the Aadhaar will only be deactivated with their permission.
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The move comes after the UIDAI implemented the scheme of assigning Aadhaar numbers along with birth certificates. So far, more than 20 states have implemented the scheme, which is expected to be expanded in the near future. There is currently no mechanism in place to deactivate Aadhaar even in the event of a person’s death.
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Previously, the Registrar General of India had asked UIDAI for feedback on draft amendments to the Registration of Birth and Death Act, 1969, in order to include the deceased person’s Aadhaar number when issuing a death certificate.
According to the Aadhaar Enrolment and Update Regulations, 2016, Aadhaar number holders may update their supporting documents in Aadhaar at least once every 10 years from the date of enrolment for Aadhaar, by submitting proof of identity (POI) and proof of address (POA) documents, to ensure the continued accuracy of their information. UIDAI stated that this “improves better service delivery and increases authentication success rate” because it is used to dispatch a number of government schemes.
The UIDAI recently announced that the offer to update Aadhaar details for free would be available for three months, beginning March 15, 2023, and ending June 14, 2023. The nodal agency overlooking the Aadhaar management in the country, clarified “this service is free only on ‘myAadhaar’ portal and will continue to attract a fee of ₹50 at physical Aadhaar centres, like previously”.
Demographic information such as name, address, date of birth/age, gender, mobile number, and email address can be updated online, whereas biometric data such as retinal scans, fingerprints, and photographs can only be updated at Aadhaar enrollment centres.