This is about preventing fraud at the source. If the Aadhaar number of a deceased person stays active, hackers or criminals can use that identity for unauthorized bank transactions, fraudulent welfare claims, or criminal activity. UIDAI’s message is clear: deactivated numbers are never reissued.
The Target: Ghost Identities
The agency’s strategy is two-fold:
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Mass Deactivation: They used multiple government data streams to identify and permanently deactivate over 20 million records. This is a crucial step in maintaining the integrity of the entire national database.
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Public Reporting Tool: Earlier this year, UIDAI launched a dedicated service on the myAadhaar portal where family members can report the death of a relative. The family member submits the Aadhaar number and the Death Registration Number, and UIDAI verifies it before deactivation. This is available in 25 states/UTs right now.
If you have a deceased family member whose Aadhaar is still active, you need to use that portal. It’s the official way to stop potential misuse.
New App, New Security
Alongside this massive cleanup, UIDAI launched a redesigned Aadhaar app to tighten up security for active users.
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Biometric Lock: One-click lock/unlock for biometrics prevents unauthorized access.
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Privacy Controls: Users can select exactly how much Aadhaar information they want to share.
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Family Access: The app supports up to five family profiles on a single device.
This nationwide effort—the huge deactivation drive coupled with the high-security app—reflects a much larger strategy: making the Aadhaar ecosystem both clean and impenetrable.
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