70 crore residents have Aadhaar numbers

NEW DELHI: The Unique Identification Authority of India ( UIDAI) has issued 70 crore Aadhaar numbers to residents across the country as of now.

Nine states, including Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, have crossed 90 per cent Aadhaar coverage, while 16 states have over 70 per cent coverage, a press statement by UIDAI said.

Aadhaar enrolments in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh are going on at a fast pace.

These four states with a combined population of about 34 crore were added earlier this year to UIDAI's mandate by the government. As on date, Aadhaar numbers have been issued to 8.93 crore residents in these states, which is 26 per cent of the target population.

Over 25,000 Aadhaar enrolment kits are operational across the country as on date, including both camp mode and Permanent Enrolment Centres, with a total output of approximately 10 lakh enrolments per day.

UIDAI has already geared up its processing capabilities to achieve the targets and has the capacity to process around 15 lakh enrolment packets every day. Enrolments are expected to pick up further once the festival season is over.

In the recent months, government has provided fresh impetus to the UIDAI by linking Aadhaar to various schemes and initiatives, including the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), MGNREGS, Pensions, Scholarships, DBTL, UAN (EPFO), PDS, Passports, Attendance system in government offices etc.

Aadhaar facilitates "anytime, anywhere" online authentication of a resident through universal verification of one's identity based on the demographic and biometric information of an individual, eliminating any chances of duplication or fraud.

Aadhaar is now the world's largest biometric database.