UIDAI deactivates over 2 crore Aadhaar of deceased individuals; check how to update family records

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated more than two crore Aadhaar numbers belonging to deceased individuals as part of a nationwide initiative to clean and update its citizen database, the government said on Wednesday.

UIDAI has sourced verified records of deceased persons from multiple channels, including the Registrar General of India, state and Union Territory administrations, the Public Distribution System, the National Social Assistance Programme and various central government departments.

"The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated more than 2 crore Aadhaar numbers of deceased individuals as part of a nationwide clean-up effort to maintain the continued accuracy of the Aadhaar database," the statement said.

The large-scale exercise aims to ensure the continued accuracy of the Aadhaar ecosystem and prevent potential misuse of identity credentials, particularly for illegal financial transactions or wrongful access to government welfare schemes, an official statement said.

The authority is also working with financial institutions and other agencies to receive updated mortality data on a regular basis.

“No Aadhaar number is ever reassigned to another individual. However, in case of the death of a person, it is essential that his/her Aadhaar number is deactivated to prevent potential identity fraud, or unauthorised usage of such Aadhaar number for availing welfare benefits,” the statement said.

How to update family records

UIDAI earlier this year launched a facility on the myAadhaar portal enabling family members to notify the death of an Aadhaar holder.

The feature is currently active in 25 states and Union Territories that are integrated with the Civil Registration System, while the remaining states and UTs are in the process of being onboarded.

To submit a request, an authenticated family member must provide the deceased person’s Aadhaar number, death registration number and supporting demographic details.

UIDAI conducts validation checks before making a decision on deactivation.

The authority has appealed to citizens to report the deaths of relatives on the portal after obtaining the official death certificate from local registering authorities.