1.17 crore Aadhaar cards were blocked in one go. UIDAI is now keeping a special eye on these people, and knows what the matter is

UIDAI Aadhaar Card: In India, Aadhaar card is no longer just an identity document, but has become a mandatory digital identity for every important work. But a big flaw in this system comes to the fore when a person dies, and his Aadhaar number remains active in the system for years. This not only increases the risk of incidents like identity theft, but fraud can also happen in the name of the deceased. In view of this danger, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has taken an important and historic step. The Ministry of Electronics and IT on Wednesday informed that UIDAI has accessed the records of 1.55 crore dead persons, out of which about 1.17 crore Aadhaar numbers have also been deactivated.

UIDAI accessed this data

UIDAI received these records from the Registrar General of India (RGI), who shared the registered data of death through Civil Registration System (CRS) from 24 states and union territories of the country. So far 1.55 crore records have been handed over to UIDAI, out of which 1.17 crore Aadhaar numbers have been closed after verification.

The process of collecting data from those states and union territories which are still not a part of CRS is also going on. So far 6.7 lakh death records have been received from such non-CRS states, on which the process of deactivation is going on.

Why is it necessary to close the Aadhaar of the dead?

It has been clarified in the government statement that Aadhaar number is never allotted to anyone else again. But if the Aadhaar of a deceased remains active, then serious incidents like banking fraud, fraud in government schemes and identity theft can happen in his name. That is why it is necessary that after death, the Aadhaar number of the concerned person is deactivated after proper verification.

Now the family members will also have to fulfill the responsibility

UIDAI has not only done the work of collecting data, but on 9 June 2025, they have also started a new service called 'Information of death of family member' on the myAadhaar portal. Under this service, now the family members can themselves go to the portal and start the process of deactivating the Aadhaar of the deceased.

This portal can currently be used only in those 24 states / union territories which are connected to the CRS system. On the portal, the family member has to authenticate his Aadhaar number, and then fill in the Aadhaar number, death certificate number and other necessary details of the deceased person. After this, investigation and verification is done by UIDAI and action is taken to deactivate Aadhaar.

Special focus on those above 100 years of age

UIDAI is not only checking the data on receiving information about death, but is also identifying "suspicious" Aadhaar numbers proactively. Under this, now the details of Aadhaar holders above 100 years of age are being sent to the state governments to confirm whether they are still alive or not. The deactivation process will proceed only after receiving such information.

Data will also be sought from banks and other institutions

UIDAI does not want to depend only on government records. Therefore, in future, possibilities are being explored to obtain death records from banks and other Aadhaar ecosystem institutions as well. This will ensure that if banks receive information about the death of a person, it also reaches UIDAI and his Aadhaar can be closed.

What is the specialty of Aadhaar number?

The government has also clarified that the Aadhaar number is a 12-digit unique identification number, which is generated completely randomly. This means that every Aadhaar number is unique and no intelligence related to any kind of personal information is used in it. Therefore, it is important that special attention is paid to the validity of every number.

What should family members do?

If someone close to you has died recently and his Aadhaar is still active, then you can give this information by going to the myAadhaar portal. By doing this, you will not only prevent identity theft, but will also avoid any future legal hassles. This step of UIDAI is not only important in the direction of maintaining the accuracy and integrity of Aadhaar data, but it is also a step towards a responsible and sensitive digital system. Now it is also our responsibility to contribute in this process.