NEW DELHI: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated over two crore Aadhaar numbers belonging to deceased individuals as part of a nationwide clean-up drive to strengthen the accuracy and reliability of the Aadhaar database.Officials said the exercise is aimed at preventing identity fraud and ensuring that government benefits linked to Aadhaar are accessed only by eligible beneficiaries. According to UIDAI, the deactivation process draws on data sourced from the Registrar General of India (RGI), state and Union Territory administrations, the public distribution system, the National Social Assistance Program and other departments that maintain death-registration records. UIDAI emphasizes that Aadhaar numbers are never reassigned, even after the holder’s death, making timely deactivation crucial to avoid potential misuse – such as unauthorized withdrawals, fraudulent benefit claims or impersonation. “Ensuring the database remains current is essential for the integrity of Aadhaar-linked services,” an official said.To make the process easier for families, UIDAI earlier this year launched a digital facility on the myAadhaar portal.
