Aadhaar’s next mission: Simplify visas?

Jun 30, 2013

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Bengaluru: Nandan Nilekani’s big idea, the Aadhaar number, is gaining both adherents and “allies” as the numbers of people with a unique identity grow rapidly – some 800,000 to a million people are enrolling for the UID daily.

After various departments of the Indian government have hitched on the Aadhaar for ‘know your customer’ requirements and, increasingly, transactions, foreign embassies are now exploring the possibility of using the Aadhaar number to simplify their visa processes.

Nilekani, who mentioned the development during a during a talk at IIM-B on Saturday, said that the UID Authority had had “preliminary discussions” with some embassies, but hastened to add that the Aadhaar only authenticates identity but is not proof of citizenship.

“They (consulates) can look up the Aadhaar number, since they require verification of one's identity. However, it is only an idea at this stage, and I can't comment much about it.”

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