UIDAI Deactivates 2.5 Crore Aadhaar Cards Of Deceased

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated over 2.5 crore Aadhaar numbers belonging to deceased persons to prevent misuse and identity fraud.

The information was shared by Minister of State (MoS) for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada in a written reply to Parliament on February 4, citing a report by PTI.

Aadhaar is the world’s largest biometric identity system, with nearly 134 crore active holders across India. The deactivation drive is part of a nationwide clean-up effort to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the Aadhaar database.

The government said Aadhaar numbers of deceased individuals must be deactivated to prevent identity theft, fraud and unauthorised access to welfare benefits.

To curb Aadhaar-related identity fraud, the UIDAI has introduced biometric lock and unlock features to reduce unauthorised authentication attempts. Aadhaar also uses Face Authentication with liveness detection to prevent spoofing and ensure the physical presence of the cardholder.

UIDAI has recently launched a new Aadhaar mobile application on January 29, which allows users to share only selected personal details, enhancing privacy and security. Aadhaar holders can now also update their registered mobile number directly through the app, simplifying profile updates.