The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has issued 70 crore Aadhaar numbers as on 28th October 2014

As on date, nine states including Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, have crossed 90 percent Aadhaar coverage, while sixteen states have Aadhaar coverage of over 70 percent. UIDAI is also conducting Aadhaar enrolments in the newly assigned states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh, at a fast pace. These four states with a combined population of about 34 crore, were added earlier this year to UIDAI's mandate by the government. Till date, Aadhaar numbers have been issued to 8.93 crore residents in these states, which is 26% of the target population.

Over 25,000 Aadhaar enrolment kits are operational across the country, including both camp mode and Permanent Enrolment Centres, with a total output of approximately 10 lakh enrolments per day. UIDAI has already geared up its processing capabilities to achieve the targets and has the capacity to process around 15 lakh enrolment packets every day. Enrolments are expected to pick up further once the festival season is over.

In the recent months, Government of India has provided fresh impetus to the UIDAI by linking Aadhaar to various schemes and initiatives, including the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), MGNREGA, Pensions, Scholarships, DBTL, UAN (EPFO), PDS, Passports, Attendance system in government offices etc.

Aadhaar facilitates "anytime, anywhere" online authentication of a resident through universal verification of one's identity based on the demographic and biometric information of an individual, thereby eliminating any chances of duplication or fraud. Aadhaar not only provides universal mobility of identity to every resident, but also assists in online booking of tickets and in applying for a passport. It is also a proof of identity (PoI) and a proof of address (PoA) for opening a bank account, as it meets the 'Know Your Customer' (KYC) norms of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Under the recently launched PMJDY, Aadhaar, through its online e-KYC service, proves one's digital identity beyond doubts and uniquely enables an individual to open a bank account instantly, in a paperless manner. Aadhaar is now the world's largest biometric database.

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