UIDAI issues Aadhaar, India’s unique identity number. It is now the world’s largest biometric identity system. Over 130 crore residents carry an Aadhaar number today. This article covers the Authority itself: its structure, its legal basis, and the Supreme Court case that shaped its limits.
MCQ Questions
UIDAI · Aadhaar
130+ crore
Aadhaar numbers issued — the world’s largest biometric ID system
Covering roughly 99% of India’s adult population, as of 2026.
2009 → 2016
Office → Authority
Began under the Planning Commission in 2009; the Aadhaar Act made UIDAI a statutory authority on 12 July 2016.
2018 Verdict
4:1 majority
Supreme Court upheld Aadhaar’s core validity in the Puttaswamy case, but struck down Section 57.
Structure
1 + 2 + 1
One Chairperson, two part-time Members, and a CEO who also serves as Member-Secretary.
Data Clean-Up
2+ crore
Aadhaar numbers deactivated so far in an ongoing drive to remove deceased holders’ records.
✅ Must Know
What UIDAI Is
- Definition UIDAI is the Unique Identification Authority of India. It issues Aadhaar, a unique identity number, to residents.
From Office to Authority
- 2009 → 2016 UIDAI began as an attached office in January 2009. At the time, it sat under the Planning Commission. The Aadhaar Act, 2016 gave UIDAI statutory status, coming into force on 12 July 2016.
Where It Sits Today
- MeitY UIDAI now functions under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
Not Proof of Citizenship
- UPSC 2018 Aadhaar is a 12-digit random number, unique to each resident. Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016 explicitly states it is NOT proof of citizenship or domicile. The Issuing Authority can also deactivate or omit an Aadhaar number, for reasons like false enrolment — it is not permanently locked in once issued. Asked as: “Consider the following statements: Aadhaar card can be used as a proof of citizenship or domicile; once issued, Aadhaar number cannot be deactivated or omitted by the Issuing Authority.” (UPSC CSP 2018, GS Paper I) — neither statement is correct.
Leadership Structure
- 1+2+1 The Authority has a Chairperson, two part-time Members, and a Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The CEO also serves as Member-Secretary, and is the Authority's administrative head and legal representative.
📘 Good to Know
The Original Problem
- Purpose Aadhaar was designed to solve one problem: eliminating duplicate and fake identities in welfare delivery. It also needed to be easy and cheap to verify — biometric authentication does that job.
Enrolment
- Biometrics Enrolment collects a resident's fingerprints, iris scans, and a photograph. By law, Aadhaar enrolment is voluntary. In practice, it is now closely tied to welfare and subsidy delivery.
The 2018 Constitutional Test
- Puttaswamy The Supreme Court tested Aadhaar's constitutional validity in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India (2018). A 4:1 majority upheld the Aadhaar Act's core validity, striking down only some specific provisions.
Section 57 Struck Down
- Private Use Barred One provision struck down was Section 57. It had let private companies, like banks and telecom firms, demand Aadhaar authentication. After this verdict, no school board or bank could make Aadhaar strictly mandatory for its own services.
Two Different Cases
- Not the Same Ruling This 2018 case is distinct from the landmark right-to-privacy Puttaswamy judgment. See Polity0105 for that earlier ruling.
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🏆 Great to Know
Scale Is the Real Achievement
- 130+ Crore Aadhaar's real achievement is scale, not just its technical design. It now authenticates identity for over 130 crore residents across India. This makes Aadhaar the world's largest biometric identity system, by a wide margin. The World Bank's Chief Economist once called it the most sophisticated ID programme in the world.
Institutional Test After 2016
- Expansion Aadhaar's institutional test really began after 2016. The government linked it to subsidies, taxation, and mobile SIM cards. The 2018 Puttaswamy verdict became a check on that expansion, drawing a line between welfare delivery and private-sector overreach.
The Ongoing Challenge
- Accuracy at Scale UIDAI's ongoing challenge is keeping this database accurate at massive scale, not just building it once.
Three Common UPSC Traps
- Metadata, Insurance, Section 7 Aadhaar metadata cannot be stored for more than six months, not three — a UPSC trap swaps the two numbers. Aadhaar is NOT mandatory for private services like insurance, following a 2019 IRDAI advisory after the 2018 Puttaswamy-era ruling. It IS mandatory, under Section 7, for benefits or subsidies funded out of the Consolidated Fund of India.
📰 Current Affairs
Pehchaan App Launch
- 28 Jan 2026 On 28 January 2026, UIDAI launched a new Aadhaar App, called Pehchaan. Minister of State Jitin Prasada dedicated it to the nation, on UIDAI Day. (Source: Akashvani News)
- Selective Sharing Pehchaan replaces the older mAadhaar app. It adds QR-based selective data sharing, letting users share only what a transaction actually needs. (Source: Biometric Update)
- 3-Month Uptake Within three months, the app crossed 21 million downloads. Users completed 2.8 million mobile number updates, and nearly 600,000 address updates, through it. (Source: Biometric Update)
- 22 Jun 2026 By 22 June 2026, downloads crossed 31 million. Nearly 40 lakh people had updated their mobile number through the app, and almost 8.5 lakh had updated their address. (Source: PIB)
Current Leadership and Scale
- Aug 2026 As of August 2026, UIDAI's Chairperson is Neelkanth Mishra (part-time), and its CEO is Saurabh Vijay, IAS. (Source: UIDAI)
- 99% Coverage As of 2026, around 134 crore Aadhaar numbers are active. This covers roughly 99% of India's adult population. (Source: UIDAI)
- Data Clean-Up UIDAI has been running an active data clean-up drive. It has deactivated over 2 crore Aadhaar numbers linked to deceased people. (Source: UIDAI)
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