• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the Aadhaar Good Governance portal to simplify and expedite the approval process for Aadhaar authentication requests.

• The initiative aligns with the government’s Digital India vision, focusing on enhancing ease of living, making services more people-friendly, and improving accessibility to public and private services.

• The new portal will allow government and non-government entities to seek Aadhaar authentication for a wide range of services, ensuring faster, more secure, and seamless digital transactions.

• The platform is accessible at http://swik.meity.gov.in.

What is Aadhaar?

• Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique ID issued to an individual. Aadhaar uses demographic information (name, date of birth, gender and address), photograph of the face, fingerprints and iris to identify a resident. These items of information are mandatory.

• The objective of Aadhaar is to empower residents of India with a unique identity and digital platform only for the purpose of identity proof.

• Aadhaar number is a proof of identity. It does not confer any right of citizenship or domicile in respect of an Aadhaar number holder. 

• Under the Aadhaar Act, 2016, UIDAI is responsible for Aadhaar enrolment and authentication, including operation and management of all stages of Aadhaar life cycle, developing the policy, procedure and system for issuing Aadhaar numbers to individuals and perform authentication and the security of identity information and authentication records of individuals.

Key features of the portal:

1) Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance Amendment (2025)

• The launch follows the Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Amendment Rules, 2025, notified in January 2025 under the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016.

• The amendment expands the scope of Aadhaar authentication beyond government schemes to new sectors, improving transparency and inclusivity in digital governance.

2) Aadhaar’s Role in Digital India

• Aadhaar is regarded as the world’s most trusted digital identity, with over one billion Indians using it for authentication more than 100 billion times in the past decade.

• The new framework strengthens Aadhaar’s role in governance by allowing authentication for non-governmental services while maintaining security and privacy standards.

• The initiative supports the government’s mission to modernise public service delivery and promote paperless, cashless transactions.

3) Portal Features & Authentication Process

• The Aadhaar Good Governance portal will serve as a step-by-step guide for organizations applying for Aadhaar authentication.

• The portal will provide detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for onboarding entities, ensuring compliance with the new rules.

• Face authentication may be integrated into customer-facing apps of private entities, allowing anytime, anywhere authentication for users.

• The initiative eliminates unnecessary paperwork, making identity verification more efficient and user-friendly.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)