Govt allows Aadhaar-enabled face authentication in private entities' mobile apps

New Delhi, Feb 27 (PTI) The government on Thursday said it has allowed the integration of Aadhaar-enabled face authentication in mobile applications of private entities, a move aimed at easing access to services for customers through apps.

The process will be facilitated as part of the standard operating procedure (SOP) for Aadhaar authentication laid down through a Aadhaar Good Governance portal launched by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity), an official statement said.

"The portal shall work as a resource-rich guide, and offer detailed SOP for authentication seeking entities on how to apply and how to onboard for Aadhaar authentication. Face authentication may also be integrated in the customer facing apps of private entities, which will enable anytime anywhere authentication," the statement said.

The ministry has launched Aadhaar Good Governance portal to streamline approval process for Aadhaar authentication requests following an amendment that restores access of the unique ID verification mechanism for private entities.

Expansion of the scope of Aadhaar authentication, as envisaged in the amendment notified in late January 2025, is expected to further improve ease of living and facilitate hassle-free access to newer services of their choice, according to an official statement.

"The online platform (swik.meity.gov.in) comes into effect, after Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Amendment Rules, 2025 under the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 was notified in late January 2025. This amendment has been done to help improve transparency and inclusivity in the decision-making process," the statement said.

The government on January 31 notified an amendment in the Aadhaar Act to allow private entities to use Aadhaar authentication for delivering their services.

"The amendment enables both government and non-government entities to avail Aadhaar authentication service for providing various services in the public interest for related specific purposes like enablement of innovation, spread of knowledge, promoting ease of living of residents and enabling better access to services for them," the statement.

The Supreme Court had in September 2018 termed Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act "susceptible to misuse". The Section 57 empowered private entities to seek and use Aadhaar authentication for business purposes.

Meity said that it has proposed rules to enable Aadhaar authentication by entities other than government ministries and departments as part of its commitment to make Aadhaar people-friendly and enable ease of living and better access to services for citizens.

The fresh amendment enables Aadhaar number holders to avail hassle-free services from several sectors including hospitality, healthcare, credit rating bureau, e-commerce players, educational institutions and aggregator service providers, the statement said.

"Service providers too will find it helpful for a range of things including staff attendance, customer onboarding, e-KYC verification, exam registrations etc," the statement said.

The Aadhaar Good Governance portal was launched by Meity Secretary S Krishnan in the presence of UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar, NIC Director General Inder Pal Singh Sethi, UIDAI DDG Manish Bhardwaj and other senior officials from MeitY, UIDAI and NIC.

Krishnan said that with the launch of this platform and continuous improvement of other processes and systems around it, we hope to expedite the process of adding more use cases in the domain of good governance and ease of living. PTI PRS HVA

Source: PTI