Unique Identification Authority of India

Unique Identification Authority of India is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 (“Aadhaar Act 2016”) on 12 July 2016 by the Government of India, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The Aadhaar Act 2016 has been amended by the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Act, 2019 (14 of 2019) w.e.f. 25.07.2019. UIDAI was established to issue Unique Identification numbers (UID), named as "Aadhaar", to all residents of India. The UID is (a) robust enough to eliminate duplicate and fake identities, and (b) verifiable and authenticable in an easy, cost-effective way. As on 31st October 2021, the Authority has issued 131.68 crore Aadhaar UIDs to the residents of India.