Understanding Aadhaar-2: Provides Unique Identity to each Indian

Mr. Nandan Nilekani, Chairman of the UIDAI notes,

• "The name Aadhaar communicates the fundamental role of the number issued by the UIDAI the number as a universal identity infrastructure, a foundation over which public and private agencies can build services and applications that benefit residents across India."
• Aadhaar's guarantee of uniqueness and centralised, online identity verification would be the basis for building these multiple services and applications, and facilitating greater connectivity to markets
• Aadhaar would also give any resident the ability to access these services and resources, anytime, anywhere in the country
• Aadhaar can for example, provide the identity infrastructure for ensuring financial inclusion across the country – banks can link the unique number to a bank account for every resident, and use the online identity authentication to allow residents to access the account from anywhere in the country
• Aadhaar would also be a foundation for the effective enforcement of individual rights. A clear registration and recognition of the individual's identity with the state is necessary to implement their rights –to employment, education, food, etc. The number, by ensuring such registration and recognition of individuals, would help the state deliver these rights.

Source: UIDAI

Aadhar authentication service by year-end

Aadhaar is an ambitious project by the Indian government to put every resident on an online database. It is the biggest of its kind project in the world. It is not only done in a country that is one of the most populous but also built on the state-of-the art technology. One of the service expected to offered by Aadhaar project is online authentication and verification of the residents. Towards this end, the Aadhaar authentication service expected to be open by year-end. The additional details are here

Aadhaar Database: Nandan Nilekani explains its intended use

So far, despite all the skepticism about a centralized database with the entire country’s biometrics, Nandan Nilekani’s obvious expertise ensured he had a smooth sail. He answered all critics head on and argued that the Aadhar biometric database he was creating could not be abused because it couldn’t be queried—so, for instance, it wouldn’t have any information on the caste or income of person X, but would just be able to say if a fingerprint belonged to X; it was only a means to establish identity, nothing else.

Source:FE Editorial: Hope floats