India registers over 1B Aadhaar face authentications as adoption grows

The rate of face authentication using the Aadhaar digital ID system in India is on a steady growth trajectory with more than 100 crore (over one billion) transactions completed to date.

Aadhaar face authentication, which is accepted for over 90 government and private sector services in India, was launched in 2021 as an alternative for users facing challenges with the fingerprint authentication to access public services. It is an AI/ML system developed by UIDAI, and is widely used in the financial sector.

Information about the progress recorded by the face authentication system was discussed during the second edition of the Aadhaar Samvaad series event, an initiative of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to promote collaborative innovation in the technology industry to facilitate service delivery.

As reported by Kashmir Life, this year’s edition of the event took place in Mumbai, co-hosted by the government of Maharashtra, and provided the stage for UIDAI to celebrate the milestone in the presence of half a thousand delegates from government and industry experts from sectors like banking and finance, fintech, insurance, and telecommunications, just to name these few.

In the course of the event, discussions and exchanges dwelled on how the delivery of public and private sector services can be better streamlined using the Aadhaar digital ID system.

The UIDAI used the moment to re-emphasize the undeniable importance of the digital ID, noting that the growth of the face authentication system saw a meteoric rise from 50 to 100 crore just within a period of five months.

As of July 2024, about 1.38 billion Indians had an Aadhaar digital ID, according to UIDAI figures.

Also speaking at the Aadhaar Samvaad, S Krishnan, Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), said the Aadhaar plays a preponderant role in India’s digital public infrastructure (DPI) ecosystem, or the India Stack.

Other speakers including the UIDAI new CEO, Bhuvnesh Kumar, who took over the role at the start of this year, noted that the Aadhaar digital ID is vital in enhancing digital trust services. He reiterated the commitment of the ID authority to using the Aadhaar to facilitate access to services saying “our vision is to make life easier for Aadhaar number holders by facilitating smooth service delivery.”

Kumar, a graduate from the National Institute of Technology of Kurukshetra-India, took over as UIDAI CEO on Wednesday January 1, per a government announcement. He boasts many years of experience in India’s public administration, having held top positions in different ministries. Added to his role as UIDAI CEO is the position of Additional Secretary at MeitY.

Article Topics

Aadhaar  |  biometrics  |  face biometrics  |  facial authentication  |  financial services  |  government services  |  India  |  UIDAI