UIDAI Deactivates Nearly 2 Crore Aadhaar IDs in Nationwide Clean-Up

In a massive data-purification drive, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated close to two crore Aadhaar numbers belonging to individuals who are no longer alive. The initiative aims to ensure the Aadhaar database remains accurate, updated, and free from misuse.

Officials stated that this clean-up operation is essential to prevent the misuse of deceased individuals’ Aadhaar numbers, especially for illegal access to government welfare schemes or identity-based fraud. UIDAI also clarified that no Aadhaar number is ever reassigned to another person.

How UIDAI Identified Deceased Aadhaar Holders

UIDAI collected death-related information from multiple official sources, including:

• Registrar General of India

• State and Union Territory administrations

• Public Distribution System (PDS) records

The authority is also planning to collaborate with financial institutions and other sectors to improve future verification processes.

Family Members Can Report Death Online

To make the process easier, UIDAI introduced a feature on the myAadhaar portal, allowing family members to report the death of an Aadhaar holder. They can submit:

• Aadhaar number of the deceased

• Death certificate details

• Supporting personal information

Once verified, UIDAI proceeds with the official deactivation of the Aadhaar number.

This large-scale clean-up marks one of the biggest database correction exercises undertaken since Aadhaar’s inception.