Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)

About Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI):

• It is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar Act 2016 by the Govt. of India under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.
• Vision: To empower residents of India with a unique identity and a digital platform to authenticate anytime, anywhere.
• It is created to issue Unique Identification Numbers (UID), which is also known as ‘Aadhaar number’ to all the residents of India. 
• Under the Aadhaar Act 2016, UIDAI is responsible for Aadhaar enrolment and authentication, including operation and management of all stages of the Aadhaar life cycle and the system for issuing Aadhaar numbers to individuals.
• Composition: UIDAI consists of a Chairperson, two part-time Members and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who is also the Member-Secretary of the Authority.

What is Aadhar?

• It is a 12-digit individual identification number issued by the UIDAI to the residents of India after a certain verification process.
• To get an Aadhaar number, individuals have to provide minimal demographic and biometric information, which include name, date of birth or age, gender, address, mobile number, and e-mail ID (optional), fingerprints, iris scans, and a facial photo.
• It serves as proof of identity and proof of address for residents of India.
• The Aadhaar number is unique for each individual and will remain valid for a lifetime.
• It will help the residents to avail of various services provided by banking, mobile phone connections and other Govt and Non-Govt services in due course.

Q1) What is the Digital India initiative?

Digital India is a campaign launched by the Government of India to ensure that the Government's services are made available to citizens electronically through improved online infrastructure and by increasing Internet connectivity or making the country digitally empowered in the field of technology.