New awareness campaign on Aadhaar to focus on its day-to-day use in availing welfare schemes: UIDAI

New Delhi: A new public awareness campaign on Aadhaar is being planned with a special focus on the Below Poverty Line (BPL) segments as a tool for empowerment and to dissipate negative perceptions being spread by “motivated” parties about Aadhaar number, says the latest document of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

News18 has reviewed the document that speaks of the new awareness campaign, “subtly countering misdirected criticism” of UIDAI on account of security, privacy, the cost to the exchequer, perceived benefits and doubts about the robustness of the biometric technology. It also says that the achievement of “enrolment of over 130 crore residents under Aadhaar in 11 years with no time or cost overrun” is to be highlighted in the new public campaign.

The new communication strategy will have the corporate sector as a key target group with the focus being on the capability of Aadhaar number to drive business efficiency and customer satisfaction. “In particular financial institutions, telecom companies and large corporate houses will be targeted,” the UIDAI document says regarding the new public awareness campaign.

The Idea Behind the Campaign

More than 130 crore Aadhaar numbers have been generated so far, but UIDAI feels there is still a great need to communicate to the residents the benefits of Aadhaar, updating their details in Aadhaar and the role it can play in their day-to-day life.

“Residents who have already enrolled need to be educated about the various Aadhaar-based applications, to avail the services therein with ease,” the document says.

Hence the special focus on BPL and marginalized segments in the campaign as UIDAI claims Aadhaar is a transformational number that will improve the delivery of welfare programs and provide “particularly the poor” greater access to resources and services.

The UIDAI is looking to position Aadhaar as “India’s online digital ID platform”. It will highlight the use of Aadhaar for authentication by banks and financial transactions, payment of LPG subsidy, the opening of bank accounts, insurance policies, Jeevan Pramaan, capital market transactions, making railway reservations, entry into airports, proof of identity and address for passport and other uses for central and state government services.

Counter Negative Perceptions

A key feature of the new campaign will be dissipating negative perceptions and “dispelling rumours being spread by motivated parties” about Aadhaar number, the document says. It adds that the new strategy will “subtly counter misdirected criticism of UIDAI” on account of various issues, like security, privacy, the cost to the exchequer, perceived benefits and doubts about the robustness of biometric technology.

It has also been specified that there is a need to proactively and reactively, as desired, clarify the role of Aadhaar in case of any fraud or misinformation so that there is a better understanding of the processes involved in uptake and usage. An agency is being hired for the job.

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