Aadhar number is a 12 digit random number issued by UIDAI to Indian residents after undergoing a verification process. Any individual resident of India irrespective of age and gender may voluntarily enroll to obtain it free of cost by providing minimal demographic and biometric information. Enrollment has to be done only once and a unique Aadhaar number is randomly generated by the process of demographic and biometric de-duplication. Demographic information like name, date of birth, gender, address, and biometric information like ten fingerprints, iris scans, and facial photographs are required.
Unique Identification Authority of India ( UIDAI ) is responsible for Aadhar enrollment and authentication, operational management of all stages of the Aadhaar life cycle, developing the policy, procedure, and system for issuing Aadhaar numbers to individuals, and performing authentication and security of identity information and authentication records of individuals.
It was created to issue a Unique Identification Number (UID) called Aadhaar to all residents of India. This number has to be robust enough to eliminate duplicate and fake identities and be verifiable easily and cost-effectively. Till October 2021,131 crore Aadhaar numbers have been issued to Indian residents.
Aadhar number is verifiable in an online and cost-effective way
Aadhar Card update process can be done by two modes – Online portal or Enrollment center. Aadhaar details that can be updated are Demographic ( name, address, date of birth, gender, mobile number, email address, relationship status information sharing consent )and Biometric information ( iris, fingerprint, and facial photograph). The update process accepts a wide range of proof of identity (PoI) and proof of address (PoA) documents.
While demographic information can be updated through any mode, updating biometric data is only possible through enrollment centers.
Registering a mobile number to an Aadhaar number is essential to access online services and this can be done either at the time of enrollment or by visiting a permanent enrollment center.
In the online mode of update, the self-service model offers address updates. Aadhar number and registered mobile number are required to log in to the portal https://ssup.uidai.gov.in/aadhaar-home/. which are then authenticated by using OTP on the registered mobile number. To complete the update process, the resident needs to upload the supporting proof of address documents which are verified against requested data by a verifier at the UIDAI update back office.
By visiting a permanent enrollment center, residents can place a request for demographic or biometric updates with the help of an operator. Here, the documentary evidence is collected by the operator at the time of request acceptance. Document verification by the verifier also happens at the same time as an update request.
Updating online is free of cost, however a fee of Rs. 50 per change is charged at an enrollment center.
Once the process is complete for both the modes, an acknowledgment receipt is given which has a URN, which can be used to track the status of Aadhaar update requests using the Aadhaar number through the UIDAI portal.
It usually takes a few working days for the information to be updated. If the request is approved, an updated Aadhar is sent to the resident through a mail post at the address and if rejected, the person can re-apply. For more assistance, a person can call the toll-free number 1947 or send an email at [email protected].
