The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated more than 2 crore Aadhaar ID numbers that belonged to people who have passed away. This is part of a major national clean-up to make the Aadhaar database more accurate and secure.
According to UIDAI, the deactivated numbers were identified using death records shared by the Registrar General of India (RGI), various state governments, welfare departments, and other official agencies. The aim is to ensure that Aadhaar remains a reliable identity system and is not misused for illegal benefits, fake claims or impersonation.
Officials said Aadhaar numbers once issued are never reassigned to anyone else. So removing the IDs of deceased individuals helps prevent their identity from being wrongly used in pensions, subsidies or banking transactions.
Earlier this year, UIDAI also launched an online option on the myAadhaar portal where families can report the death of a relative. The feature is currently active in 25 States and Union Territories that are connected to the civil registration system. Users need to enter the Aadhaar number and the official death certificate details. UIDAI verifies the information before deactivating the number.
UIDAI is also working with more institutions, including banks, to improve the sharing of death-related data so the database stays updated.
People are encouraged to report the death of family members through the portal to help prevent any misuse of their Aadhaar details.
