Aadhaar cleanup: UIDAI deactivates 1.17 crore IDs of deceased to prevent fraud

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated around 1.17 crore Aadhaar numbers of deceased persons after due validation of death records, as part of its proactive measures to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the Aadhaar database and prevent any potential misuse, an official statement said on Wednesday.

UIDAI collaborated with the Registrar General of India (RGI) to obtain about 1.55 crore death records linked with Aadhaar numbers from 24 States and Union Territories using the Civil Registration System (CRS).

Similar exercises are underway in non-CRS States and UTs, where around 6.7 lakh death records have been received so far and deactivation is in progress, according to an official readout.

UIDAI launched a new service on June 9 titled ‘Reporting of Death of a Family Member’ on the myAadhaar portal.

The facility, currently available in 24 States and UTs, allows individuals to report the death of their family members by providing the deceased person’s Aadhaar number, Death Registration Number, and other demographic details after authenticating themselves on the portal.

“After due process of validation of the information submitted by the family member, further action is taken for the deactivation, or otherwise, of the Aadhaar number of the deceased person,” UIDAI said. “The process of integration of remaining States/UTs with the portal is currently underway.”

The authority is also exploring the possibility of sourcing death records from banks and other Aadhaar ecosystem entities maintaining such data.

As a pilot initiative, demographic details of Aadhaar holders aged over 100 years are being shared with state governments for verification to ascertain their status before initiating deactivation.

UIDAI emphasised that since Aadhaar is a unique 12-digit digital identity and is never reassigned to another individual, deactivation of the Aadhaar number of a deceased person is essential to prevent identity fraud and unauthorised usage.

The authority has urged residents to report the death of their family members on the myAadhaar portal after obtaining the death certificate from the registering authorities to ensure the Aadhaar database remains accurate and updated.