What Is India’s New Aadhaar App and How Will It Enable Frictionless Governance?

India has taken another step towards frictionless digital governance with the launch of a new Aadhaar App. The app was unveiled in New Delhi on the occasion of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Day, reinforcing Aadhaar’s role as the backbone of India’s digital public infrastructure and citizen-centric service delivery.

What Is UIDAI Day?

• UIDAI Day marks the establishment of the Unique Identification Authority of India, the statutory body responsible for issuing Aadhaar numbers.
• Aadhaar has emerged as one of the world’s largest digital identity systems, supporting welfare delivery, financial inclusion, and e-governance.
• Observing UIDAI Day highlights India’s leadership in digital identity innovation, privacy-focused design, and large-scale technology deployment.

What Is New in the Aadhaar App?

• The newly launched Aadhaar App is designed to reduce physical dependency on Aadhaar centres.
• With the app, citizens can update their mobile number and home address online, perform secure digital verification, and safely share Aadhaar details only when required.
• A key feature is the ability to manage multiple Aadhaar profiles of family members within a single app.
• This significantly improves convenience, security, and control over personal data.

How the App Strengthens Privacy and Security

• The app focuses on user-controlled data sharing, ensuring that Aadhaar information is shared only with consent.
• Secure online verification reduces the risk of misuse and fraud.
• By minimising physical document handling and in-person visits, the app strengthens privacy-by-design principles, aligning with India’s evolving data protection and digital governance frameworks.

Aadhaar’s Global Significance

• Aadhaar is widely regarded as a cornerstone of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
• It supports platforms such as DBT, banking, telecom, and online services.
• Jitin Prasada highlighted that India is increasingly recognised as a digital and skill capital of the world.
• He also mentioned that the upcoming AI Impact Summit, scheduled next month in India, will showcase the country as a global service provider for AI and emerging technologies, building on the success of Aadhaar-led digital systems.

Key Highlights from Jitin Prasada’s Address

• Speaking at the launch, Jitin Prasada described Aadhaar as one of India’s strongest global examples of inclusive and secure digital governance.
• He noted that Aadhaar now covers over 143 crore citizens, demonstrating India’s ability to deliver a privacy-first digital identity at unmatched scale.
• The Minister also pointed out that several countries, including developed nations, are keen to partner with India and study the Aadhaar model for their own digital identity systems.

About UIDAI

Description	Full Form: Unique Identification Authority of India Status: Statutory authority Established under: Aadhaar Act, 2016 Ministry: Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) Purpose: To issue Unique Identification Numbers (UID), known as Aadhaar numbers, to residents of India
Vision	To empower residents of India with: A unique identity A digital platform for authentication Access anytime, anywhere
Functions of UIDAI	Aadhaar enrolment and authentication Operation and management of the entire Aadhaar life cycle Issuing Aadhaar numbers to eligible residents Ensuring secure storage and use of biometric and demographic data
Composition of UIDAI	Chairperson Two Part-Time Members Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Also acts as Member-Secretary of UIDAI

Key Summary at a Glance

Aspect	Details
Why in News?	Launch of new Aadhaar App on UIDAI Day
Launched By	MoS MeitY Jitin Prasada
Coverage	Over 143 crore Aadhaar holders
Key Features	Online updates, secure verification, family management
Focus	Privacy-first, citizen-centric digital services
Global Impact	Aadhaar model gaining international interest

Question

Q. Who launched the new Aadhaar App on UIDAI Day?

A. Ashwini Vaishnaw
B. Nandan Nilekani
C. Jitin Prasada
D. Amitabh Kant