The government has deactivated more than 2.5 crore Aadhaar numbers belonging to deceased individuals to prevent potential identity fraud, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada informed Parliament on Wednesday.
Aadhaar, the world’s largest biometric identity system, currently has approximately 134 crore live holders. The deactivation forms part of a nationwide clean-up initiative aimed at maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the Aadhaar database, Prasada said.
“In case of the death of a person, it is essential that his or her Aadhaar number is deactivated to prevent unauthorized use or fraud, including misuse for availing welfare benefits,” the minister added. He also noted that the State or Union Territory recorded in the Aadhaar database for an individual may differ from the location where the death was officially registered.
Prasada outlined several measures implemented by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to reduce identity fraud risks and ensure secure delivery of benefits across the country. One such measure is the biometric lock/unlock feature, which allows Aadhaar holders to lock their biometrics, thereby preventing unauthorized authentication attempts.
The UIDAI has also introduced face authentication with a liveness detection feature, designed to prevent spoofing and confirm the physical presence of beneficiaries during transactions. Other initiatives include promoting Aadhaar Secure QR Code, paperless offline e-KYC, e-Aadhaar, and Aadhaar verifiable credentials for offline identity verification.
The minister emphasized that core biometric data of Aadhaar holders is never shared, and requesting entities are required to store Aadhaar numbers in encrypted Aadhaar data vaults. Additional measures include database sanitization, regular de-duplication, and deactivation of Aadhaar numbers of deceased individuals. Demographic updates to an Aadhaar record are permitted only based on verified documents listed by UIDAI.
UIDAI has also launched a new Aadhaar app to enable holders to securely share verified credentials with Offline Verification Seeking Entities (OVSE). The app facilitates seamless and secure offline identity verification, further strengthening safeguards against fraud.
The deactivation of Aadhaar numbers of deceased individuals and other security measures reflect the government’s ongoing commitment to protecting personal identity and maintaining the reliability of the nation’s biometric database.
These steps are seen as critical in preventing unauthorized use of Aadhaar credentials and in ensuring that welfare and other government benefits reach their intended recipients securely.
