The Indian government has launched a new Aadhaar Governance Portal designed to streamline the approval process for Aadhaar authentication requests, marking a significant development in the country’s digital identity infrastructure. The launch follows recent expansions of Aadhaar authentication services to private entities and represents a major step forward in India’s digital transformation journey.
The portal, introduced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), implements recent amendments to the Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance Rules under the Aadhaar Act of 2016. It aims to enhance service delivery and improve access to various welfare benefits through simplified authentication processes. The development builds upon India’s earlier expansion of face authentication capabilities to private sector applications.
Key features of the portal include a streamlined approval system for entities seeking Aadhaar authentication approval, with step-by-step guidance for onboarding. The platform enables both government and private sector organizations to use Aadhaar authentication for public services, including innovation, knowledge sharing, and essential services across healthcare, education, e-commerce, and hospitality sectors. The system also incorporates face authentication capabilities for customer-facing applications, expanding upon previous authentication system improvements.
The implementation includes specific provisions for biometric data collection from children. The Aadhaar database does not include biometric data such as fingerprints and iris scans for children under five years of age. Updates are required once a child reaches age five, and again for those above 15 years, who must provide fingerprints, iris scans, and photographs at an enrollment centre. These mandatory biometric updates are provided free of charge when completed within specified age windows: once between ages 5-7 and once between ages 15-17.
While the portal expands Aadhaar’s integration across various sectors, including education services, it does not explicitly mandate Aadhaar for specific educational requirements such as NEET examinations. The system’s primary focus remains on improving accessibility to various services through Aadhaar authentication, similar to the successful implementation of Aadhaar-based eKYC systems in financial services.
The expansion of Aadhaar authentication to private entities has generated discussion regarding compliance with the Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling, which established Aadhaar’s voluntary nature. The amendments allowing private sector access to Aadhaar verification have raised questions about potential commercial applications and user profiling, particularly as India continues to expand its digital identity infrastructure across multiple sectors.
Sources: DD News, The Economic Times, The Indian Express
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