Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to each individual of the country. It is one of the most important documents that must be submitted in order to be eligible for various government schemes and benefits. Aadhaar cards are also required to complete the KYC process and other related services. It also acts as a proof of identity and thus, it is mandatory for every individual to have one.
The primary goal of an Aadhaar card is to promote and provide Indian citizens with reliable, translucent and exemplary government services. An Aadhaar card is made out of the user’s demographic information and biometric data. It is allotted to the individual only after all the data is verified and is found unique to every other citizens’ data.
There is a lot more to talk about when it comes to an Aadhaar card, some of which are explained below.
What are the features of an Aadhaar card?
Listed below are the features of an Aadhaar card and what makes it unique among other legal documents like PAN card-
Unique
All Aadhaar numbers are unique because they are generated using the applicant’s demographic information as well as biometric data such as an iris scan, fingerprints, and a photograph. In any case, an applicant’s biometric data can never match the biometric data of another individual; thus, an Aadhaar card eliminates the possibility of duplication.
The de-duplication process to generate an Aadhaar number compares the applicant’s demographic information and biometric data with the available records in the UIDAI database. The process results in verifying whether the applicant’s details are already recorded in the database or not. The Aadhaar number is only generated once the applicant’s information is found unique to other applicants. It is to be noted that an applicant can enrol for an Aadhaar only once; however, if he/she tries to enrol more than once, the subsequent enrolments get rejected.
What makes Aadhaar Unique – It is generated only after verifying the applicant’s demographic information and biometrics details with the records available in the UIDAI database.
Portable
An Aadhaar card can be used to authenticate online transactions anywhere in the country. This feature of an Aadhaar card allows users to move from one state to another without having to change their addresses or other details.
What makes Aadhaar Portable – Aadhaar card is a legal document and can be accepted anywhere across the nation online
Random number
Aadhaar numbers are generated without obtaining details such as an applicant’s religion, income, caste, health, or geography. It is a number that is generated at random and is devoid of any intelligence. To obtain an Aadhaar number, an applicant must only provide his or her demographic information and biometric data during the enrollment process.
How Aadhaar number is a Unique Number – Aadhaar number lacks intelligence and does not take into account details such as the applicant’s religion, caste, health status, geography, etc.
Scalable Technology Architecture
The UID architecture is designed to be scalable and open. All of an applicant’s demographic and biometric data is stored centrally and can be authenticated from anywhere in the country. The Aadhaar authentication service is designed to manage and process at least 100 million authentications per day.
How does the UID Structure appear – The UID architecture is designed to handle approximately 100 million authentications per day while managing millions of applicant records.
Open Source Technologies
UIDAI open-source architecture is designed in such a way that it does not rely on a specific storage system, operating system, computer hardware, database vendor, or any specific vendor technologies to scale. The application is built with open source or open technologies and is designed to be vendor-neutral in terms of scalability. It also allows heterogeneous hardware to coexist within the same application.
How it is open source architecture – UIDAI is designed in such a way that it does not rely on specific types of storage systems, computer hardware, databases, and so on.
