The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is taking steps to deactivate Aadhaar numbers of deceased individuals to prevent identity fraud and unauthorized usage.
Aadhaar, India’s unique 12-digit digital identification system, is designed to be used only by living residents and citizens. Therefore, once a person dies, it is crucial to deactivate their Aadhaar number after proper verification of the death.
UIDAI has begun collecting death records from various sources, including the Registrar General of India (RGI), which has already provided around 15.5 million death records. Approximately 11.7 million Aadhaar numbers have been deactivated after verification.
A new service was launched on June 9 on the MyAadhaar portal, allowing family members to report the death of an Aadhaar holder. The user must submit self-attested basic information of the deceased along with their Aadhaar and death registration number. The deactivation process follows after proper verification.
UIDAI is also exploring possibilities of collecting such data from banks and other institutions. In addition, state governments are being asked to help identify deceased Aadhaar holders, especially those over 100 years old.
