UIDAI Deactivates 2 Crore Aadhaar Numbers Of Deceased To Prevent Fraud

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated over 2 crore Aadhaar numbers belonging to deceased individuals to maintain a clean, accurate, and secure database, the Ministry of Electronics & IT announced on Wednesday.

The move aims to prevent identity fraud and stop the misuse of Aadhaar numbers for welfare benefits and other purposes.

UIDAI identified deceased individuals by collecting data from the RGI, state governments, UTs, PDS, and NSAP.

The authority plans to expand this effort by collaborating with banks and financial institutions to gather similar data in the future.

UIDAI clarified that it never reassigns Aadhaar numbers. Deactivating a deceased person’s Aadhaar prevents illegal misuse.

Earlier this year, UIDAI launched the ‘Reporting of death of a family member’ feature on the myAadhaar portal.

The feature currently operates in 25 states and Union Territories using the Civil Registration System (CRS). UIDAI is working to integrate the remaining states and UTs.

Family members can report a death by authenticating themselves on the portal and entering the Aadhaar number, Death Registration Number, and other basic details of the deceased.

UIDAI then verifies the submitted information before deactivating the Aadhaar number.

The authority urged all Aadhaar holders to promptly report the deaths of family members on the myAadhaar portal after obtaining the official death certificate.

This process strengthens the accuracy and integrity of the Aadhaar database and helps ensure a fraud-free system nationwide.

UIDAI is carrying out a nationwide clean-up and reporting initiative to secure digital identity management.

The authority protects citizens from potential fraud through this effort. It also strengthens trust in India’s Aadhaar ecosystem.

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