UIDAI Deactivates 1.2 Cr Aadhaar of Deceased
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated around 1.2 crore Aadhaar numbers belonging to deceased individuals as part of a nationwide effort to prevent misuse of digital identities after death.
The move is based on verified death data shared by various state and Union Territory governments through the Civil Registration System (CRS). Out of nearly 1.55 crore death records submitted so far, UIDAI has successfully validated and deactivated 1.17 crore Aadhaar numbers. Another 6.7 lakh cases from non-CRS states are being processed for deactivation.
New Portal Feature for Families
To streamline the process, UIDAI has introduced a new feature on the myAadhaar portal titled ‘Report Death of a Family Member’. This allows family members to directly report the death of an Aadhaar holder, initiating the deactivation procedure without waiting for state inputs. It also reduces the chances of identity theft or fraudulent usage of deceased persons’ credentials.
Special Checks for Elderly Aadhaar Holders
UIDAI is also carrying out special validation for Aadhaar holders aged 100 years and above. This involves coordination with state governments to ensure these centenarians are still alive before continuing Aadhaar services for them.
To enhance accuracy, UIDAI plans to work with banks and ecosystem partners to cross-verify death information in real time and expand coverage across all regions.
Ensuring Secure Reactivation if Needed
In the rare event of an Aadhaar number being wrongly deactivated, individuals can restore it by visiting the nearest Aadhaar Seva Kendra. Biometric authentication and valid proof of identity are required for reactivation.
With India witnessing around 83.5 lakh deaths annually, UIDAI’s initiative is aimed at making the Aadhaar database cleaner and more secure, closing a significant gap in death-linked identity verification.
