The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has generated two crore Aadhaar numbers in Bihar which is nearly one fifth of the state's population.
"Pursuing the mandate of universal coverage across the country, the UIDAI has generated over 2 crore Aadhaar numbers in Bihar out of a total population of 10.41 crore (as per Census 2011)," the authority today said in a statement. According to the statement, the districts of Kishanganj and Arwal, have reached a saturation level of over 50%, i.e. one out of every two residents in these districts has Aadhaar.
Bihar is among the four more states allocated to UIDAI for Aadhaar enrolments earlier this year. At present, about 1.5 lakh residents are enrolled per day through 3236 active enrolment stations deployed in 37 districts of Bihar.
Forty-four enrolment agencies under 9 Non-State Registrars (NSRs) are working in Bihar, and the pace of enrolments is likely to gain further momentum shortly with engagement of enrolment agencies by the state registrar, i.e. Department of Rural Development, Government of Bihar, it said.
The UIDAI has, till date, issued over 70.8 crore Aadhaar numbers. Nine states and union territories including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh have crossed 90% Aadhaar coverage, while a further seven states/UTs have Aadhaar coverage of between 75 and 90%.
Over 2 crore Aadhaar number holders of Bihar can now avail many services with their Aadhaars such as opening a Bank account, obtaining a SIM card, a PAN card, an LPG connection etc. For the benefit of residents and institutions/agencies alike, more services are likely to be available using the Aadhaar platform in the coming days, it added.
Aadhaar is a "Digital ID" which facilitates "anytime, anywhere" online authentication of a resident through universal verification of one's identity based on the demographic and biometric information of an individual, thereby eliminating any chance of duplication or fraud.
