The Aadhaar initiative or identification project, a flagship program of the Government of India, aims to issue a unique identity number to every Indian. The 12-digit unique identification number, an Aadhaar card, is a document that captures an individual’s identity and addresses a unique identification number from a central repository.

This card has numerous benefits. It eliminates the need to carry multiple documents, as you can verify your identity online with a single swipe.

Keep reading to know more about the benefits of the Aadhaar card.

The Aadhaar card is a unique identification number distributed across India and has become a crucial identifier for Indian residents. It serves as valid identification associated with fingerprint and iris scans.

The Aadhaar card has received significant acceptance over the years and has become a legal requirement as a document relevant to various government ministries and their projects and services. Below are its importance in various places:

Identity Card

The Aadhaar card is an identity card that not only fulfils the identification needs of an Indian citizen but also can be used for various purposes. It has achieved an acceptable pass rate, and since it has been incorporated with other IDs, such as PAN, it is the only card accepted throughout the country.

Availing of Subsidies

Nevertheless, one of the undeniable advantages of the Aadhaar card is its ability to allow card owners to benefit from various subsidies provided by the government of India. Since the government gains full access to individuals' fundamental data, showing the Aadhaar card alone is enough to obtain all sorts of subsidies or program facilities immediately.

Ease of Availability

The Aadhaar card is the only ID that can be used nationwide for governmental purposes, and the application is also made through the Internet. The paper form is called the Aadhaar Reader Card, while the online form is called e-Aadhaar, which can be accessed and viewed anytime, anywhere.

If the original document is lost or stolen, a photocopy of the card is possible. Since it can be created and shared from any device and location, it adds flexibility and ease of access compared to a physical card.

The Aadhaar card has become a crucial document that helps identify and verify Indian residents. Here are some of the advantages of Aadhaar to the residents:

Identity Verification

Aadhaar is a universal identification card that makes it easy to provide identification for processes that ask for it. People can complete various transactions and be identified electronically, so several documents are unnecessary.

Self-service Capabilities

Aadhaar assists residents in utilising government services, examining rights and entitlements, and reporting complaints using technology. The two-factor authentication system checks the transactions being approved by mobile devices.

Simplified KYC and Digital Signature

Aadhaar-based e-KYC, an identity verification service, has made it easy to complete various service-related formalities, such as purchasing telecom connections and financial products. Aadhaar can also be used to electronically sign any document, making legal and official processes easier and faster.

Acquisition of Passport

In India, getting a passport has become much easier because of the Aadhaar card. Applicants can apply for passports online by entering the Aadhaar number as valid proof of residence and ID. This has done away with the necessity to go through the police verification exercise at the time of application but at a later time when deemed necessary.

The introduction of Aadhaar has streamlined the process of granting a passport. Now, it takes 10 days to issue a passport, unlike before, when there were many formalities. The Aadhaar number is required for the passport applied through the Tatkal scheme and the online passport.

Aadhaar brings many advantages, including greatly reducing complexities in governmental and bureaucratic systems. Here are some of them:

Simplified Bank Account Opening

Aadhaar doubles as an identification number and proof of address, thus making opening an account less cumbersome. This minimises document work and related bureaucratic issues between the banks and the customers.

Digital Life Certificate

Aadhaar-based e-KYC helps pensioners give digital proof of life for validation using Aadhaar-based authentication instead of visiting the pension disbursing agencies.

Pension Disbursement

When Aadhaar is linked to pension accounts, only the real beneficiaries can be identified to receive pensions without any fraudulent cases. This increases the cost-effectiveness of social welfare programs.

Provident Fund Management

The legal mandate vested in EPFO for the Aadhaar linkage helps properly monitor and administer provident fund accounts. This aids in preventing fraudsters from stealing social security benefits meant for genuine workers in the employed, formal, and informal sections.

Financial Market Access and Subsidy Distribution

Since SEBI has permitted Aadhaar as ID proof, investors’ verification will become more accessible, leading to greater market participation. Aadhaar-linked Direct Benefit Transfers Aid (DBT) also helps cut the government’s subsidy wastage and increases the effectiveness of reaching the desired beneficiary.

Public Distribution System

Aadhaar-based anti-fraud measures and fair-price shops decrease the number of ghost beneficiaries and leakage of subsidised goo, leading to better performance of food security schemes.

Voter Card Linking

Integrating Aadhaar with voter ID removes several fake and multiple entries. This improves voters’ credibility since every person will have only one vote, thus eradicating the cycle of electoral fraud.

Below are the advantages of having an Aadhaar for receiving the subsidies offered by the central government:

Healthcare

Aadhaar plays a critical role in enhancing the existing healthcare facilities provided to the people. With it, the development of the Ayushman Bharat Health Account ABHA can unite patient records in multiple providers’ domains.

It efficiently enrols the targeted beneficiaries into health insurance programs like Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana and Maternal benefits programs like Janani Suraksha Yojana. It also aids in monitoring immunisation programs and compulsory health check-ups, making delivering adequate health insurance much more effective.

Employment

In the employment sector, Aadhaar greatly improves the functioning of different programs. It eases registering and monitoring benefits of programs such as the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Program. The ‘Identification’ system enables convenient access to skills growth and professional education/training.

Aadhaar also helps authenticate employment guarantee schemes such as MGNREGA, which benefit genuine beneficiaries. Further, it assists in correctly targeting and disbursing funds for relevant unemployment benefits and other related employment support mechanisms.

Education

Aadhaar also benefits education, where the ease and management of access are significantly felt. It assists in monitoring the enrolment and attendance of students in programs such as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and thus enhances the effectiveness of implemented education projects.

The system eliminates delays and discrepancies often associated with the disbursal of scholarships. Aadhaar also helps by identifying learning resources and encouraging digital literacy. In addition, it helps supervise mid-day meal schemes in schools, thus improving nutritional assistance for students.

Social Security

In social security, Aadhaar improves the functioning and coverage of many welfare programmes. It facilitates the direct benefit transfers of pensions in schemes like the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme, which ensures timely pension payouts. The system also minimises the verification procedures in running widow and disability pension programs, thus cutting costs.

It also enhances the effectiveness of subsidised social services for the deserving population. It helps the Indian government monitor and target these subsidies in welfare schemes for BPL populations.

Food & Nutrition

Aadhaar greatly enhances the efficacy of food security and nutrition schemes and programs. It helps prevent pilferage within the PDS because it allows for proper identification of the targeted beneficiaries. It speeds up the disbursement of benefits in the Integrated Child Development Scheme, improving child care in the early years.

Aadhaar also enhances the targeted and efficient delivery of supplementary nutrition programmes, allows for the proper supervision of Mid-Day Meal schemes in schools, and reduces child malnutrition by increasing the nutritional value of food delivered.

Here are some additional benefits of Aadhaar:

PAN Card and Income Tax Return

Compulsory Aadhaar-PAN linking has been announced to check tax evasion and the menace of black money. This integration also makes it easier to monitor financial activities and eliminates any chances of tax evasion.

Driving License

The driving license has also attracted the government to connect Aadhaar numbers to the license. This process is expected to discourage multiple licence holders' situations and bring about more efficiency, transparency and accountability in the system.

Securities and Exchange Board of India

Getting listed on the stock exchange requires proof of address and identity, and the Aadhaar card has been accepted as a valid document. This has boosted equity investors, especially those who like to invest in shares of their preferred company, as they can now open their Demat account and other necessary formalities with their Aadhaar card only.

Mobile Number Aadhaar Linking

New mobile connections and those already active require linking with the Aadhaar number. All new mobile numbers must be linked to Aadhaar, and new connections must be mandatory for Aadhaar. Existing Airtel, Idea, and Vodafone, including prepaid and postpaid users, must also link their Aadhaar with mobile numbers.

IRCTC Booking Facility

The IRCTC ticket booking facility has recently been enhanced to allow users to book twelve monthly tickets, specifically through the official website. Account holders must authenticate themselves through Aadhaar or ensure the authentication of at least one passenger using this number.

However, if the user has not updated with Aadhaar, the ability to book 10 tickets at a time is now reduced to 8 monthly tickets. This step will improve the transparency level of railway ticket booking and eliminate all sorts of manipulations.

Due to its identification features, the Aadhaar card has offered efficient ways of working, reduced corruption, and enhanced accountability and transparency. The card has made a significant and promising impact on governance and citizen capabilities, making India a unique identification and co-development leader.