National Population Register: UIDAI Approves “Voluntary” Use Of Aadhaar Number
In India, the Aadhaar card is considered to be one of the most important of all documents that prove the identity of a citizen living in this country. The card is issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and each card has a unique identification number. The Aadhaar card also contains both demographic and biometric information of the individual.
E-KYC or Electronic Know Your Customer is the process of establishing the identity of an individual using their documents like an ID card, proof of residence and their biometric information. Verification of identity can be done easily through the process of Aadhaar authentication. Today, Aadhaar card is essential for financial transactions, to avail subsidies from the Indian government as well as several other services. You require an Aadhaar card for the following.
- Filing tax returns.
- To get subsidy for Gas Cylinders.
- To open an account in a bank.
- To apply for a PAN card.
- For faster disbursal of provident fund, pension, etc.
Recently the UIDAI has granted permission for using the 12 digit Aadhaar number (voluntarily) for compiling the National Population Register (NPR) as well.
National Population Register
The government of India has decided to prepare the NPR or National Population Register by September 2020. This will be a foundation for creating a register for all the citizens residing in India.
- The objective of the National Population Register is to create an identity database that is comprehensive.
- This is applicable for all the ‘usual residents’ (an individual who has resided in an area for 6 months or more) in India.
- The database will have the biometric as well as the demographic information of each citizen.
- Details of the members of the family will be included.
- Information will be collected from house to house all across India except in the state of Assam.
- This will happen from the beginning of April 2020 until the end of September 2020.
- The NPR is different from National Register for Citizens and the census of the country and is mandatory for all citizens residing in India.
Aadhaar Authentication
The Aadhaar based e-KYC (Electronic Know Your Customer) introduced in the year 2011 by the Government of India has made the verification of the identity of an individual simple and quick. An individual's identity is established through Aadhaar authentication.
The process of verification of identity is carried out by submitting the individual’s Aadhaar number, biometric information and demographic details to CIDR-Central Identities Data Repository. The CIDR operates under the UIDAI. If the data of the individual submitted matches the details on their database the CIDR confirms it.
Using Aadhaar Card For National Population Register
The Registrar General of India sought the permission of the UIDAI to provide the biometric information of each citizen so that they don’t have to collect it. This was reported in The Economic Times. The Unique Identification Authority of India has granted permission for the ‘voluntary’ usage of the Aadhaar card number for compiling the NPR. The National Population Register will include:
- Demographic details of each individual (15 categories).
- Aadhaar number of the individuals who have submitted it voluntarily.
Once the Aadhaar number has been attached to the database of the National Population Register it will contain both the biometric and demographic information of each citizen. However, the citizen must be willing to provide the Aadhaar number.
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