UIDAI unveils three online identity authentication services

The authority is also setting up 300 Aadhar Kendras, which will be scaled up to 1,000 by September

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) today unveiled three new Aadhaar-enabled services which would help residents to authenticate their identity anytime and anywhere through a digital platform.

Besides the authority also announced establishment of (around 300) permanent enrolment centres (Aadhaar Kendras). The number of these Aadhaar Kendras would be scaled up to 1,000 by September this year.

"The centres will facilitate enrolment of residents left out during the camps organised by registrars in the past and also facilitate biometric and demographic update," UIDAI Chairman Nandan Nilekani said.

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, who was also present on the occasion, said there could be leakage ranging between 20 to 40 per cent in the present system of delivery of benefits under various schemes and said that these services would help plugging them.

The authority has launched three Aadhaar-enabled services including e-KYC, OTP (one-time pin) authentication and Iris authentication.

The e-KYC service will enable individuals to authorise service providers to receive electronic copy of their proof of identity and address.

The e-KYC service can be deployed by different agencies to verify a resident's identity and address. Only demographic information (Name, Address, Date of Birth, Gender, Photograph & Mobile Number) that is collected during Aadhaar enrolment will be shared, at the request of, and/or with the consent of the Aadhaar number holder.

The OTP service enables Aadhaar based authentication of all residents using their mobile telephone anytime, anywhere on a self service mode without having to use biometric authentication device.     

The third service will enable residents to authenticate identity for availing Aadhaar-enabled services by providing a combination of Aadhaar number and Iris image.

Under the OTP and iris authentication, the authority's digital platform would not share the demographic details and respond in yes or no to authenticate the identity of the resident.

However the information will be available only for few seconds to the service provider to avoid any misuse.