Aadhaar to be deactivated after holder's death

In a significant move that will go a long way in updating records, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is in collaboration with the Registrar General of India in devising a mechanism to ensure an Aadhaar number becomes null and void with the expiry of its owner. This will be achieved through the issuance of death certificates.

Procedurally, as and when a death certificate is issued, family members concerned will be contacted. Once the family members consent, the number becomes defunct, The Times of India quoted officials as saying.

The agency is in talks with several governments, without whose active participation, the scheme may run into rough weather.

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This latest step in updation of records comes after the UIDAI brought into force a scheme to allot Aadhaar numbers while issuing birth certificates. So far, over 20 states have implemented the system, with others expected to follow suit in the coming months.

With this move, the government hopes to keep its database updated and persuade those whose Aadhaar certificates are older than a decade to update them. The publication notes that, on average, three crore Aadhaar certificate holders have updated their details.

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By implementing this scheme, the government aims to put in place a mechanism in which auto-updation of all records takes place, with Aadhaar certificates as the fulcrum.

This is part of an exercise to usher in ease of living with the facility proposed to be rolled out first for those who have started using DigiLocker to store their key documents.