Over 2.5 Crore Aadhaar Numbers of Deceased Persons Deactivated to Curb Identity Fraud: Govt

New Delhi: More than 2.5 crore Aadhaar numbers belonging to deceased individuals have been deactivated as part of a nationwide database sanitisation exercise aimed at preventing identity fraud and ensuring leak-proof delivery of welfare benefits, the government informed Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

In a written reply, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada said the large-scale clean-up is being undertaken by the Unique Identification Authority of India to maintain the accuracy, integrity, and credibility of the Aadhaar ecosystem, the world’s largest biometric identity system with around 134 crore live Aadhaar holders.

Why Deactivation of Deceased Aadhaar Numbers Matters

The government noted that failure to deactivate the Aadhaar number of a deceased person can lead to unauthorised usage, including fraudulent claims of welfare benefits and identity misuse. Since death registration may take place in a different state or Union territory from the one recorded in the Aadhaar database, UIDAI has been working with multiple data sources to ensure timely identification and deactivation of such records.

Regular de-duplication and removal of inactive records, including those of deceased persons, is a core part of UIDAI’s database hygiene protocol, aimed at protecting both citizens and public finances.

Multi-Layered Measures to Prevent Identity Fraud

Beyond deactivating Aadhaar numbers of deceased individuals, UIDAI has rolled out a series of technological and procedural safeguards to reduce identity fraud risks and strengthen trust in digital authentication systems.

One of the key tools available to Aadhaar holders is the biometric lock and unlock feature, which allows individuals to lock their fingerprints and iris data, preventing unauthorised authentication attempts. Aadhaar holders can temporarily unlock biometrics only when required for legitimate use.

In addition, face authentication with liveness detection has been deployed to ensure the physical presence of the beneficiary during transactions, reducing the risk of spoofing through photographs or recorded images.

Offline Verification and Data Security

To minimise data exposure and enable privacy-preserving verification, UIDAI has expanded offline Aadhaar verification mechanisms, including Secure QR Code-based verification, paperless offline e-KYC, e-Aadhaar, and Aadhaar verifiable credentials. These allow identity verification without sharing Aadhaar numbers or biometric data.

The government reiterated that core biometric information is never shared by UIDAI with any requesting entity. All organisations using Aadhaar authentication are mandated to store Aadhaar numbers only in encrypted Aadhaar Data Vaults, adding an additional layer of security.

Controlled Updates and New Aadhaar App

To prevent misuse through unauthorised changes, demographic updates in Aadhaar—such as name, date of birth or address—are permitted only on the basis of documents notified by UIDAI.

Further strengthening user control, UIDAI has launched a new Aadhaar mobile application that allows Aadhaar holders to securely share verified credentials with Offline Verification Seeking Entities (OVSEs). The app enables consent-based, time-bound sharing of information, reducing reliance on physical documents and photocopies.

Strengthening Trust in Digital Public Infrastructure

The government said these measures collectively reflect India’s broader push to make its digital public infrastructure secure, inclusive, and fraud-resistant, particularly as Aadhaar continues to underpin direct benefit transfers, financial inclusion programmes, and digital service delivery.

By proactively deactivating Aadhaar numbers of deceased persons and tightening authentication safeguards, UIDAI aims to ensure that benefits reach only genuine beneficiaries while protecting citizens from identity misuse.