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India Today
6 days ago
- India Today
Unlock your Aadhaar biometrics securely with this step-by-step guide
Locking your Aadhaar biometrics can provide extra protection against misuse of your fingerprint and iris data. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) offers an easy online process to lock or unlock these details whenever data, like fingerprints and iris scans, are unique to you and can be used for Aadhaar authentication. If this data is compromised, it may lead to identity theft or unauthorized transactions. Locking biometrics ensures they cannot be used without your consent. advertisementSTEP 1 – LOGIN TO THE MYAADHAAR PORTALVisit the myAadhaar portal and log in using your Aadhaar number, the provided captcha, and a one-time password (OTP) sent to your registered mobile 2 – SELECT LOCK/UNLOCK BIOMETRICS Once logged in, look for the 'Lock/Unlock Biometrics' option and click 3 – UNDERSTAND THE UTILITIESRead the information provided on how the locking feature works and its benefits. Click Next to 4 – PROVIDE CONSENTTick the consent box to confirm your agreement with the terms, then click 5 – CONFIRM LOCKINGA confirmation message will appear indicating that your biometrics have been successfully TO UNLOCK WHEN NEEDEDYou can unlock your biometrics anytime by following the same process and selecting Unlock Biometrics instead. This is useful when you need to authenticate an Aadhaar-based your biometrics locked by default and unlocking them only when needed is the safest practice to prevent unauthorised access.- Ends
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
UIDAI move to deactivate Aadhaar of deceased sparks concerns over accuracy, process
Pune: The Unique Identification Authority of India's (UIDAI) ongoing drive to deactivate Aadhaar numbers of deceased individuals using state death registration data has triggered concerns among activists and experts, who fear the process could lead to wrongful deletions due to outdated or incomplete data. UIDAI has deactivated around 1.17 crore Aadhaar numbers after accessing approximately 1.55 crore death records from 24 states and union territories through the Registrar General of India. The move is aimed at preventing identity misuse and enhancing the accuracy of the Aadhaar database, according to a statement issued by the UIDAI office early last week. A new feature introduced last month on the myAadhaar portal allows family members in these states to report the death of a relative by submitting their Aadhaar number and death registration details. A similar process is being rolled out in non-civil registration system states, where only 6.7 lakh records have been shared so far. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune However, activist groups and policy observers have warned that in the absence of a foolproof and fully digitised birth and death registration mechanism, such steps may pose more harm than benefit. "Unless there is a robust and verified system in place, this could result in wrongful deactivation of Aadhaar numbers, particularly in states where death registration is poorly maintained," said Pune-based activist Shrikant Joshi. "Many states still face significant delays in updating death data, and a sudden deletion of Aadhaar can cause undue hardship to family members relying on it for posthumous legal, financial, or welfare matters. " Former bureaucrat V Ramani pointed out that the lack of digitisation in death certification could render UIDAI's efforts unreliable. "While Aadhaar may be submitted at the time of death registration, the absence of digital records and verification mechanisms could lead to errors with far-reaching consequences," he said. Activist Sheila Dave also questioned the timing of the move, citing gaps in the civil registration infrastructure. "Deactivating Aadhaar based on flawed or incomplete data could open the door to systemic errors. This should be done only when there is confidence in the registration system's accuracy." The UIDAI statement said it ensured that safeguards are in place to validate death information before deactivating any Aadhaar number. It is also piloting a project to verify the status of Aadhaar holders aged above 100, in collaboration with state govts. The authority is exploring additional data sources such as banks and Aadhaar ecosystem partners to ensure comprehensive coverage. Officials have advised families to report the death of Aadhaar holders on the myAadhaar portal after securing a valid death certificate from local authorities to prevent identity misuse posthumously. While UIDAI's efforts are positioned as a proactive step towards data hygiene and fraud prevention, the success of the initiative hinges on timely, universal, and digitally verifiable death registrations — an area where much work remains, said an official from the state information technology department.
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Time of India
You can report a family member's death to deactivate their Aadhaar number: UIDAI
How you can report death of a family member for Aadhaar number deactivation on myAadhaar portal Experts view on latest UIDAI move of Aadhaar deactivation after death How long does it take to deactivate Aadhaar after death? How can legal heirs check if an Aadhaar number has been deactivated? Online: Go to the MyAadhaar Portal ( ? Click on 'Check Aadhaar Status' ? Enter Aadhaar number. If deactivated, the system will show it as inactive or 'deactivated due to death.' Offline: Visit an Aadhaar Seva Kendra (ASK) or enrollment center with basic ID documents. Officials there can confirm the status. Can legal heirs still file ITR if Aadhaar is deactivated? What if Aadhaar is wrongly deactivated by the UIDAI The Unique Identification Authority of India ( UIDAI ) has introduced a new facility that allows family members to report the death of a loved one through the my Aadhaar Portal. This move aims to prevent fraudulent use of the deceased's Aadhaar number for activities like claiming subsidies, opening bank accounts, or availing any other benefits from the has also recommended that Aadhaar number holders report the death of their family members on myAadhaar Portal after obtaining their death certificate from the municipal introduction of the new facility was announced via a press release dated July 16, UIDAI requested the Registrar General of India (RGI) to share death records linked with Aadhaar to the press release, 'UIDAI has launched a new service, 'Reporting of Death of a Family Member', on the myAadhaar Portal on 9th June 2025 for deaths registered in 24 States/UTs presently using the Civil Registration System. This portal allows individuals to report the death of their family members. The family member, after authenticating himself/herself, is required to provide Aadhaar number and Death Registration Number along with other demographic details of the deceased person on the portal. After the due process of validation of the information submitted by the family member, further action is taken for the deactivation, or otherwise, of the Aadhaar number of the deceased person. The process of integration of remaining States/UTs with the portal is currently underway.'UIDAI is also exploring the possibility of sourcing death records from banks and other Aadhaar ecosystem entities maintaining such information, said the press Wealth online spoke to experts about their views on the latest UIDAI move and here's what they have to Goger, Managing Partner, Blaze Legal – a law firm, says, 'When a person passes away, their Aadhaar card is not automatically deactivated, but the government has introduced ways to report the death to help delink Aadhaar from various services and prevent misuse. A key option is the 'Report Death of a Family Member' feature, available through some state portals, municipal offices, or Aadhaar Seva Kendras. This allows family members to submit the deceased's Aadhaar number, death certificate, and relationship proof to notify UIDAI.'Adding further, 'Further, to prevent misuse of Aadhaar data during this process, UIDAI also offers a lock/unlock feature using the Virtual ID (VID). This allows users to temporarily lock their Aadhaar number, making it unusable for authentication purposes. If the VID is available for the deceased (or was set before their passing), family members can use it to lock the Aadhaar online via the UIDAI portal, adding an extra layer of protection until formal deactivation is completed. These steps ensure that the Aadhaar is no longer active in government databases, helping to prevent fraud and stop unintended benefits. The issuance of a death certificate could be tied to the process of deactivation of the Aadhaar of the deceased. This will prevent identity theft and reduce the potential for fraud.'Alay Razvi, Managing Partner, Accord Juris – a law firm, says, 'As per UIDAI's latest guidelines (July 2025), Aadhaar is deactivated after a person's death once the death is officially registered and the details are matched with the Aadhaar database. This is done to prevent misuse of identity in such events where claims are made for subsidies or pensions or opening bank accounts using the deceased person's Aadhar ID.'Arya Tripathy, Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas – a law firm, says, 'At present, registration of births and deaths are undertaken by state registrars under the Registration of Birth and Death Act, 1969 (RBDA), and there is per se no legal provision requiring compulsory deactivation of Aadhaar of a deceased person. It remains optional, and where applied online through UIDAI website, UIDAI based on validation of death registration details issued by the concerned registrar proceeds to lock the biometric data associated with the deceased person's Aadhaar. Consequently, Aadhaar based authentication is disabled and the Aadhaar is considered deactivated.'Saswati Soumya Sahu, Partner, ANB Legal, says, 'A cautionary approach needs to be taken not to reassign the same Aadhaar number to another individual after the death of an individual. Deactivation will ensure that such biometric information is preserved and is adequately secured in a safe environment. The provision of nominee could ensure that they get entitled to the benefits of subsidies and other welfare programs after the death of an individual. This will also play an important role in estate matters, like closing accounts or meeting financial obligations. The nominee can inform the banks about the death in order to prevent misuse of the deceased's data.'Deactivation depends on the death being registered with the local authority and when it is digitally shared with UIDAI and matched with Aadhaar the system identifies a match, UIDAI automatically deactivates the Aadhaar number without requiring action from the from Blaze Legal says, 'Post verification and acceptance of the request, the UIDAI typically deactivates/delists the deceased's Aadhaar card within 90 days.'Legal heirs can find out if it has been deactivated in two ways:Razvi from Accord Juris, says, 'Yes, legal heirs can file Income Tax Returns (ITR) on behalf of the deceased, using the deceased's PAN number, even if their Aadhaar is deactivated. Aadhaar is not mandatory for deceased persons when filing through legal representatives. However, if Aadhaar-based e-verification or KYC is needed in any pending financial matter (e.g., mutual funds, bank account closure, insurance claims), reactivation may be necessary for smoother processing.'Arya Tripathy, Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, says, "On July 7, 2025, UIDAI issued a circular elaborating the process through which a deactivated Aadhaar of a presumed deceased person can be reactivated. As per this circular, the presumed deceased can provide necessary details in the prescribed form to the nearest UIDAI regional/state office, who shall then examine the reactivation application and require the individual to visit the designated Aadhaar centre, where they can provide a fresh set of biometric data amongst other details as stipulated, and seek to reactivate. Such a process is required to be completed within 30 days, with the obligation on UIDAI to update the status of a reactivation request online. Further, where the Aadhaar is reactivated, UIDAI is obligated to inform the Registrar General of India under the RBDA."Tripathy from Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, says, 'The circular and reactivation process comes as a welcome initiative to handle cases where deactivation was erroneous on account of the individual being alive, but it does not provide for reactivation mechanism for other scenarios such as where a deactivated Aadhaar is required for pending income-tax filings or for submission in any other legal or judicial process. It also does not permit any nominee or legal heir to invoke reactivation for any genuine case. It is pertinent to note here that under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDPA), a data principal is vested with a right to nominate another individual who shall upon death or incapacity of the data principal act as their nominee regarding processing of their personal data and associated data protection rights.'
India Today
17-07-2025
- Business
- India Today
UIDAI deactivates over 1.17 crore Aadhaar numbers after validating death records
UIDAI is now deactivating Aadhaar numbers of deceased individuals by verifying 1.55 crore death records. A new portal allows families to report deaths for Aadhaar keep the Aadhaar database clean and prevent identity misuse, UIDAI has begun deactivating Aadhaar numbers of deceased persons. A new service is live to help families report such deaths TAKES BIG STEP TO STOP MISUSE OF AADHAAR AFTER DEATHThe Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched a nationwide initiative to weed out inactive Aadhaar numbers linked to deceased individuals. So far, over 1.17 crore Aadhaar numbers have been deactivated after verifying death records, as part of this massive data cleansing drive. The move aims to protect the Aadhaar ecosystem from fraud, especially in cases where the deceased person's identity could be MEMBERS CAN NOW REPORT DEATHS ON MYAADHAAR PORTALOn June 9, 2025, UIDAI rolled out a new feature called 'Report Death of Family Member' on the myAadhaar portal. It's currently active across 24 States and Union Territories that are part of the Civil Registration System (CRS).To use the service, a family member must log in and submit the deceased's Aadhaar number, Death Registration Number, and other basic details. Once submitted, UIDAI carries out validation before deactivating the Aadhaar with the remaining States and UTs is in COLLABORATES WITH REGISTRAR GENERAL AND STATESUIDAI has partnered with the Registrar General of India (RGI) to collect authentic death far, RGI has shared around 1.55 crore death records, leading to deactivation of 1.17 crore Aadhaar numbers after is also working with non-CRS States/UTs, from where 6.7 lakh death records have been received, and the deactivation process is another major step, UIDAI is engaging State Governments to cross-check Aadhaar holders aged over 100 years. States will verify whether these individuals are alive, helping UIDAI clean the database more effectively.- EndsTune InMust Watch
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Time of India
UIDAI deactivates Aadhaar of 1.2 crore deceased people
Representative image NEW DELHI: The Unique Identity Authority of India has so far deactivated nearly 1.2 crore Aadhaar of deceased persons to prevent misuse of the 12-digit identity proof. The UIDAI has done this by sourcing records of nearly 1.6 crore deaths from the Civil Registration System (CRS) of 24 states and UTs through the Registrar General of India."Following thorough validation, approximately 1.17 crore Aadhaar numbers have been deactivated. A similar exercise is ongoing in non-CRS states/UTs, with 6.7 lakh death records received and deactivation in progress," an official release said. It added that UIDAI has started a new service 'Reporting of Death of a Family Member' on the myAadhaar portal for the 24 CRS states and UTs. "The family member, after authenticating himself/ herself, is required to provide Aadhaar number and death registration number along with other demographic details of the deceased person on the portal. After due process of validation of the information submitted by the family member, further action is taken for the deactivation, or otherwise, of the Aadhaar number of the deceased person," the statement said. UIDAI is also exploring the possibility of sourcing death records from banks and other Aadhaar ecosystem entities maintaining such information. It is taking the support of state governments in identifying deceased Aadhaar number holders. As a pilot, demographic details of Aadhaar number holders aged over 100 years are being shared with state governments to verify whether the Aadhaar number holder is alive. Upon receipt of such verification report, necessary validation will be carried out before deactivating such Aadhaar number, electronics and IT ministry said.
