UIDAI Aadhaar Card update: New authentication charge is just 15% of previous cost

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has slashed charges for Aadhaar Card authentication by customers to Rs 3. Earlier, it was Rs 20 per instance to enable entities to leverage its infrastructure for "providing ease of living to people through various services and benefits."

Speaking at NPCI IAMAI-organised Global Fintech Fest, UIDAI CEO Saurabh Garg said that the prospects of leveraging Aadhaar in the fintech (financial technology) sector is immense.

"We have slashed the rate from Rs 20 per authentication to Rs 3 and the objective has been to ensure that different agencies, entities should be able to use the power of digital infrastructure which has been created by the state that needs to be used to provide people with ease of living with dignity," Garg said.

He informed that till now, over 99 crore eKYC (electronic-Know Your Customer) have been done using the Aadhaar system. "I think it gives a cost-effective and non-repudiable solution to fintech companies to onboard new customers," Garg said, "That is where the power lies and KYC of the Aadhar provides lifetime and reusable identity which is the power of the Aadhaar system."

The UIDAI CEO informed that the platform does not share biometric details of customers and banks on its partners to sustain the same level of privacy and security.

New Aadhaar to be distributed only in PVC card form

Instead of paper-based prints for Aadhaar cards, the identification card will only be issued in a PVC format. Those who applied recently for Aadhaar will get a PVC card. Costing Rs 50, the PVC-based card is more effective and durable. Notably, driving licences, PAN cards and voter ID cards are already issued in a portable card format.

(With PTI inputs)