New Delhi [India], November 26 : The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated more than two crore Aadhaar numbers belonging to deceased individuals, marking one of the largest clean-up exercises of the national identity database. According to a Ministry of Electronics & IT press release, this step aims to keep Aadhaar records accurate and prevent identity misuse.
UIDAI said it has received information on deceased persons from the Registrar General of India, state governments, Union Territories, the Public Distribution System, and the National Social Assistance Program. The authority is also planning to work with banks and other institutions to share verified death data in the future. Officials explained that an Aadhaar number is never given to another person, so deactivation after death is necessary to stop fraud or wrongful use of welfare benefits.
The authority introduced a new online service earlier this year to make the process easier for families. The "Reporting of death of a family member" feature is now active on the myAadhaar portal for 25 states and Union Territories that use the Civil Registration System. UIDAI noted that the remaining states and UTs will also be connected to this system soon.
Under the process, a family member logs in to the portal, verifies their identity, and enters the deceased's Aadhaar number, Death Registration Number, and basic details. UIDAI then checks the information before taking action on deactivation.
The authority is urging Aadhaar holders across the country to report the deaths of their family members on the myAadhaar portal once they receive the death certificate. UIDAI said timely reporting will help avoid the misuse of government subsidies and services that require Aadhaar authentication.