Aadhaar robust, nationally on-line verifiable ID: UIDAI to SC

The Aadhaar issuing authority, UIDAI, has no data on those who have been denied benefits for want of the 12-digit biometric identification number, the Supreme Court was informed today.

The information was given by Ajay Bhushan Pandey, CEO of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) after the top court asked him whether there was any official data on how many persons have been denied benefits either due to want of Aadhaar or due to failure of their authentication.

A five judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, which allowed Pandey to make a power-point presentation, also pointed out that unaware and illiterate persons can "be left high and dry" as, over time, the finger prints faded.

"We had no means to know as to how many persons have been denied benefits...Is there any official data on denial of services ," the bench, also comprising Justices A K Sikri, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan, said.

The CEO, a 1984 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre, said the UIDAI has no data about persons who have been denied benefits for want of Aadhaar or due to lack of authentication.

Pandey, however, said no person shall be denied of any benefit if there is any failure in authentication due to lack of updation of data and various circulars from authorities including from the Cabinet Secretary have been issued in this regard.

The Aadhaar Act and its regulation make sure that people are not denied of benefits, he said.

Seeking to allay apprehensions raised, the UIDAI CEO said Aadhaar provided a "robust, lifetime, reusable, nationally on-line verifiable ID" card to citizens, as the Supreme Court which posed queries on data security, exclusion of persons from getting benefits for want of authentication.

The bench then said that sometime biometric details like finger prints fade over a period of time and unaware and illiterate persons may not get them updated and can they "be left high and dry".

It also referred to the allegation of senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for Justice K S Puttaswamy, and asked why 49,000 certified private operators, out of total 6.83 lakh who carry out Aadhaar enrolment, have been blacklisted by UIDAI.

"Aadhaar enrolment is free. They charge people. We got complaints," the CEO said, adding that these operators also filled wrong details at the time to enrolment and "as we have a zero tolerance policy towards corruption, they were blacklisted."