In the coming weeks, Aadhaar holders will be able to share their identity electronically instead of handing over photocopies. A new mobile app from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will let users send either a full or a masked version of the document through a QR code.
UIDAI will introduce a protocol that lets people update their address, phone number, name and date of birth from home. By November, the only in‑person step will be giving fingerprints and iris scans at an enrolment centre.
The move aims to cut paperwork, lower the risk of forged documents and make the process faster for citizens. UIDAI draws data directly from records such as birth certificates, driving licences, passports, PAN, PDS and MNREGA. Talks are also on to link electricity‑bill databases for smoother address checks.
UIDAI chief executive officer Bhuvnesh Kumar said the agency has shifted about 2,000 of its one lakh enrolment machines to the new app. “You will soon be able to do everything sitting at home other than providing fingerprints and IRIS,” he told The Times of India. The QR‑code method is set to work for hotel check‑ins, property deals and even identity checks on trains.
The QR code is designed to limit misuse. “It offers maximum user control over your own data and can be shared only with consent,” Kumar added. UIDAI is urging states to use the system at property‑registration offices, where document fraud is common.
UIDAI is also planning drives with school boards such as CBSE to complete mandatory biometric updates for children aged five to seven and again at 15 to 17. Officials estimate eight crore first‑round updates and 10 crore second‑round updates are still pending.
Security agencies, hotels and other service providers that are not required to use Aadhaar are in talks with UIDAI to join the system. The wider network is meant to strengthen verification while keeping control with the individual.
Source: The Economic Times