A Closer Look at UIDAI
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Before becoming a statutory authority, UIDAI operated as an attached office of the erstwhile Planning Commission, which is now the
NITI Aayog
.
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The main objective behind UIDAI's creation was to issue Unique Identification numbers (UID), referred to as “Aadhaar”, to all Indian residents.
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Under the Aadhaar Act 2016, UIDAI is tasked with Aadhaar enrolment and authentication, including overseeing and managing all stages of Aadhaar life cycle. It is also responsible for developing the policy, procedure and system for issuing Aadhaar numbers, conducting authentication, and ensuring the security of identity information and authentication records.
An Overview of UIDAI's Organisational Structure
The headquarters of UIDAI are situated in New Delhi, and it has eight regional offices in various cities including Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Ranchi. It also maintains two Data Centres, one in Bengaluru, Karnataka and the other at Manesar (Gurugram), Haryana.
The Objectives that Drive UIDAI
The Unique Identification Authority Of India was set up with the aim of providing a unique digital identity to the citizens of India, which they could authenticate anytime and anywhere. Here are some of the key objectives of the organisation:
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To provide good, transparent and efficient governance
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To develop policy, procedure and system for issuing Aadhaar number to residents of India
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To provide a platform to the citizens of the country, holding Aadhaar cards to authenticate and update their digital identity
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Ensure availability, scalability and resilience of the technology infrastructure
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To ensure security and confidentiality of identity information and authentication records of individuals
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To make rules and regulations in line with the Aadhaar Act
Learn more about
Aadhaar and the Right to Privacy
, and understand the Supreme Court’s judgement on this case at the linked article.
You can also check out the detailed UPSC Syllabus for the upcoming IAS exam at the linked article.
