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TRACING THE HISTORY OF AADHAR

On January 28, 2009, the Government of India setup the Unique Identification Authority of India
(UIDAI) via a gazette notification.1 This agency was setup with the objective of collecting
the biometric and demographic data of residents, storing them in a centralized database, and thus,
issuing a 12-digit unique identity number called Aadhaar to each resident.2 As per the
notification, the UIDAI has been given the responsibility to lay down plan and policies to
implement UID scheme, to own and operate the UID database and be responsible for its updation
and maintenance on an ongoing basis. The implementation of UID scheme entails generation and
assignment of UID to residents; defining mechanisms and processes for interlinking UID with
partner databases; operation and management of all stages of UID life cycle; framing policies
and procedures for updation mechanism and defining usage and applicability of UID for delivery
of various services among others.3 The purpose of implementing a broad identification system
was to successfully address the concerns of national security, corruption, and anti-poverty efforts.
Reason behind its Creation
Prior to the creation of Aadhaar, India did not have a nationally or universally accepted method
for providing identification to its residents. Due to the lack of a uniform and standard approach,
Aadhaar was conceived as a unique and innovative project to deal with this problem. The first
phase of today's UID project was initiated in 1999 by the NDA government in the wake of the
Kargil War. Following the reports of the Kargil Review Committee in 2000, and a Group of
Ministers in 2001, the NDA government decided to compulsorily register all citizens into a
National Population Register (NPR) and issue a Multi-purpose National Identity Card (MNIC)

1 Gazette Notification dated January 28, 2009, Government of India, accessed on February 1, 2016,
http://www.uidai.gov.in/images/notification_28_jan_2009.pdf.
2 Roger J. Chin and Gregory Hennessy, Indias Aadhar Project, Journal of Administration and
Science (Vol 12, Issue 1, 2015) 2. http://www.rmc.uitm.edu.my/images/stories/JAS/vol12-no1/1.pdf
3 Gazette Notification dated January 28, 2009, Government of India, accessed on February 1, 2016,
http://www.uidai.gov.in/images/notification_28_jan_2009.pdf.

to each citizen. To ease this process, clauses related to individual privacy in the Citizenship Act
of 1955 were amended in 2003.4
Previous methods and more traditional approaches to dealing with the problem had failed as the
government officials and the public sector would attempt to resolve the issue in isolation without
coordinating with public and private efforts. Similar to most countries, Indias public and private
service providers require proof of identity prior to rendering services to any person. But without
a dominant national identification mechanism, service providers used to furnish their own
protocols and benchmarks for establishing identification.
The lack of a national identification mechanism often leads to the denial of critical services and
increases corruption because residents have to bribe government officials in order to obtain
services to which they are legitimately entitled. 5 Some of the standard approaches for
identification in India include voter identification, passport, Permanent Account Number (PAN)
card, and ration cards. The plethora of identification mechanisms lead to multiple and fake
identities. The implementation of Aadhaar was meant to curtail these problems and to make
obtaining a false identity more difficult by tying Aadhaar enrollment to harder-to-falsify
biometric data.6
Problems that existed with the earlier system
Voter identification cards and Passports are prone to duplications since voters migrate from one
area to another and then register for a new card.7 Passports are rarely used by the underprivileged
4 What the UID conceals, R. Ramkumar, The Hindu, accessed on February 5, 2016,
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/what-the-uid-conceals/article839590.ece;
http://pib.nic.in/archieve/lreleng/lyr2001/rmay2001/23052001/r2305200110.html;
http://www.prsindia.org/uploads/media/vikas_doc/docs/acts_new/1167485133_citizenship_amendment.p
df
5 About UIDAI, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), 2014, accessed on February 1, 2016,
http://www.uidai.gov.in.
6 Das, J., Maitra, S., & Bagchi, D, Unique identification number: The new identity paradigm, Globsyn
Management Journal, (2011) 5(1/2) 11-18.
7 Surpa note 2, http://www.rmc.uitm.edu.my/images/stories/JAS/vol12-no1/1.pdf.

since they are unable to afford the cost of obtaining a passport and are even less likely to travel.
PAN Cards do not require physical verification during the enrollment process, may not have the
persons current address, and are not cancelled or withdrawn upon the death of the cardholder.
Ration Cards are primarily given to residents at the bottom of the socioeconomic pyramid and
are uncommon among middle and upper tier residents. Perhaps more importantly, there is no
centralized database that stores information about recipients assigned ration cards. By
centralizing and standardizing identity, Aadhaar aimed to address these and other shortcomings
of the prevalent systems while also reducing the inefficiency, corruption, and malfeasance
endemic in them. Aadhaars attempt was to consolidate the identification processing associated
with each of these agencies into a single mechanism with a standardized procedure.8
Proposed Implementation Process
After the Gazette Notification was issued, the former Chairman of Infosys, Nandan Nilekani,
was appointed to lead UIDAI.9 After a great deal of consideration, Nilekani and his team
determined that to ensure uniqueness and to prevent fraud, biometric technology would play a
central role in the system.10 The technological and institutional infrastructure of Aadhaar had to
be able to eliminate any duplication efforts or fake identities that were well known to impede the
current system.
In order to successfully reach the ambitious objectives of Aadhaar, the project was designed as a
collaborative partnership between public and private sector organizations. 11 Regardless of how
innovative and influential a single organization or government agency might be, the projects
8 A Foundation for Financial Inclusion. Conference on Inclusive & Sustainable Growth, by R. Lamba
& M. Gupta, 2011, Proceeding from Institute of Management Technology; Supra note 2.
9 Official Website of UIDAI (PMs Council) - http://uidai.gov.in/all-about-uidai.html; Newspaper article
covering the same Nandan Nilekani Appointed as Chairperson of UIDAI, Business Standard, June 25,
2009. http://www.business-standard.com/article/press-releases/nandan-m-nilekani-appointed-aschairperson-of-uidai-109062500107_1.html
10
11 Klitgaard, R., & Treverton, G. (2003). Assessing partnerships: New forms of collaboration. New Ways to
Manage Series. Washington, D.C.: IBM Endowment for the Business of Government.

immense size called for an approach that could draw upon the resources and talents of a range of
organizations. Through collaboration across organizations, the Aadhaar project was designed to
leverage both public and private sector resources through the development of sustainable and
cost-effective networks. The partnership enabled the various stakeholders to meet the technical,
regulatory, and legal obligations of the project. Through a collaborative network of public and
private partners, UIDAI began issuing unique Aadhaar identification numbers in September 2010
with the goal of covering 600 million residents by 2014.12
Present Scenario

After Nandan Nilekani resigned as the chairman in 2014, Director General, Vijay S Madan
became the de facto boss of UID 13 and continues to head the project.
The latest news suggests that Aadhaars future is continuously evolving and developing.14 Lowerthan-expected enrollment numbers and relentless attacks in the media are increasing the pressure
to eliminate or radically modify the project. An article published in Indias Business Standard
newspaper best captures the projects future. The article described the Aadhaar project as a
rollercoaster ride embroiled in controversy and stated that a total revolt threatens Aadhaars very
existence.15 Statements by government officials, including Indias Home Minister Rajnath Singh,
12 Khanna, T., & Raina, A. (2012). Aadhaar: Indias unique identification system. Cambridge,
Massachusetts: Harvard Business School.
13 http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/nilekani-resigns-as-uidaichairman/article5781144.ece; http://www.ciol.com/vijay-shankar-madan-replacessharma-uidai-d-g/; http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-0315/news/48244307_1_nandan-nilekani-the-unique-id-authority-bangalore-southconstituency
14 Sathe, V. (2014). Managing massive change: India's Aadhaar, the world's most ambitious ID project.
Innovations, 9(3-4), Forthcoming.
15 Agarwal, S. (2014, February 5). Is it the end of the road for Aadhaar? Business Standard. Retrieved
from http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/is-it-the-endof-the-road-for-aadhaar114020501618_1.html.

alluded that the National Population Register would start issuing National Identity Cards to be
used in implementing the Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) program. This statement was widely
viewed as an indicator that UIDAIs current role as an authenticator for DBT will be concluded. 16
The recent national elections, too have amplified the debate.17 Added to those were the legal
challenges posed by various activists, the main challenge being the right to privacy. Whether or
not the right to privacy of a citizen is being violated by the project and other connected legal
questions have been referred to a constitutional bench for a conclusive decision.
Conclusion
The success or failure of the Aadhaar project remains to be determined. Whether Aadhaar is
successful or not, the outcomes and implications will be a notable indication for other nations to
determine if the application of a biometric identification system should be adopted in the
interests of their own residents, while also keeping in mind the legal challenges associated with
the same.

16 Sharma, A. (2014, June 19). Rajnath Singh talks of issuing national identity card; end of UIDAI in
sight, The Economic Times, accessed on January 31, 2016,
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-06-19/news/50711116_1_nprprojectuidai-directbenefits-transfer.
17 In Chronological order - http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/modi-criticisesaadhaar-yet-implements-it-in-gujarat/story-uwMxZWra5r1iAnGe5DjfGJ.html,
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/Aadhaar-a-fraud-will-review-it-if-voted-topower-BJP/articleshow/31864188.cms;
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2014/12/01/BJP-Makes-U-turnon-Its-Stand-on-Aadhaar-Issue/article2549238.ece; and this one where Aadhar was
made mandatory after Modi came to power - http://www.myaadhaarcard.in/tag/bjp/

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