UIDAI To Begin Biometric Update Of Children Through Schools
UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar told PTI that over 7 crore children have not yet updated their Aadhaar biometrics, which becomes mandatory after the age of 5 years.
"UIDAI is working on a project to start updating the biometrics of children with parental consent through schools. We are at present testing the technology and it should be ready in 45-60 days," Kumar said.
According to UIDAI guidelines, the Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU) is crucial for maintaining accurate and reliable biometric data of children. If not completed even after a child turns seven, their Aadhaar number could be deactivated as per the current rules.
The update is free of cost if done between ages 5 and 7, but after the age of 7, a fee of Rs 100 is charged for the update.
An Aadhaar with updated biometrics is important for accessing services like school admissions, entrance exams, scholarships, and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes.
"We are planning to extend the same process of going through schools and colleges for a second MBU which is done after children attain the age of 15 years," Kumar added.
Currently, Aadhaar for newborns and children below 5 years is issued without capturing biometrics.
"Aadhaar is crucial for delivering benefits under several government schemes. We want children to get all the benefits at the right time. Through schools, we are trying to reach as many children in a convenient manner," he said.
As part of the upcoming project, UIDAI will send biometric machines to each district, which will then be rotated from school to school for carrying out the updates.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
TCS to lay off over 12,000 employees this year; mid, senior level staff to be impacted
New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) India's largest IT services firm, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), is set to lay off about 2 per cent, or 12,261 employees, of its global workforce this year, with the majority of those impacted belonging to middle and senior grades. As of June 30, 2025, TCS's workforce stood at 6,13,069. It increased its workforce by 5,000 employees in the recently concluded April-June quarter. The move is part of the company's broader strategy to become a "future-ready organisation", focusing on investments in technology, AI deployment, market expansion, and workforce realignment, TCS said in a statement. "TCS is on a journey to become a Future-Ready organisation. This includes strategic initiatives on multiple fronts, including investing in new-tech areas, entering new markets, deploying AI at scale for our clients and ourselves, deepening our partnerships, creating next-gen infrastructure, and realigning our workforce model. "Towards this, a number of reskilling and redeployment initiatives have been underway. As part of this journey, we will also be releasing associates from the organisation whose deployment may not be feasible. This will impact about 2 per cent of our global workforce, primarily in the middle and the senior grades, over the course of the year," it said. TCS will provide appropriate benefits, outplacement, counselling, and support to the impacted employees, it added The move comes at a time when India's top IT services companies have delivered single-digit revenue growth in Q1FY26, capping off a somewhat-sobering June quarter as macroeconomic instability and geopolitical tensions weighed on global tech demand and delayed client decision-making. For TCS, the revenue rose 1.3 per cent year-on-year to ₹ 63,437 crore, bottomline improved 5.9 per cent to ₹ 12,760 crore in Q1FY26. TCS MD and Chief Executive K Krithivasan recently said the company is experiencing a "demand contraction" due to the continued uncertainties on the macroeconomic and geopolitical fronts, and added that he does not see a double-digit revenue growth in FY26. Krithivasan explained the delays in decision-making experienced in the preceding quarter have "intensified" now, and hoped for the discretionary spends - a prime mover of revenue growths for IT companies - would return once the uncertainties ebb. Microsoft, the second most valuable publicly listed company after Nvidia globally, has so far laid off over 15,000 employees in 2025, that is 7 per cent of the company's global workforce. In a memo to over 200,000 employees last week, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the layoffs this year have been "weighing heavily" on him. "This is the enigma of success in an industry that has no franchise value,' he said in the memo to staff. He added: "Progress isn't linear. It's dynamic, sometimes dissonant, and always demanding. But it's also a new opportunity for us to shape, lead through, and have greater impact than ever before." According to - a platform that tracks global tech industry layoffs - over 80,000 tech workers have been laid off across 169 tech companies in 2025 alone. In 2024, that number stood at a staggering 1.5 lakh across 551 tech companies - the stark numbers coinciding as much with global macroeconomic woes as with deep debate in tech circles about the impact of AI on job roles, workforce, and employability.
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Punjab's jails to get AI surveillance, 5G jammers in Rs 252 crore overhaul
CHANDIGARH: In a major push to modernise its prison infrastructure and security measures, the Punjab government is rolling out advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based surveillance systems, full-body scanners, and 5G jammers across all 14 jails in the state. The initiative aims to curb drug smuggling, mobile phone use, and in-prison violence, while also addressing overcrowding. The state has sanctioned Rs 252 crore for comprehensive jail upgrades. Of this, Rs 126 crore is for installing security equipment and Rs 126 crore for constructing new barracks to accommodate over 5,000 additional inmates. According to senior government officials, AI-enabled CCTV systems will be installed in 11 jails this year as part of a state-wide rollout. 'This will help in detection and generating alerts on identification of throws from over the walls, crowd detection, entry into prohibited zones, entry or exit of foreign objects,' an official said. The Prison Inmate Calling System has also been expanded, with 800 calling machines installed to ensure inmates can legally communicate with their families without resorting to unauthorised means.
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
How did Anil Ambani's telecom company go bankrupt, once used to challenge Airtel, Idea, launched Rs 500 phone to....
Anil Ambani (File) Several companies of Anil Ambani were raided by the Enforcement Directorate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), leading to several stories about Anil Ambani's legacy. Anil Ambani's Reliance Infocomm, later rebranded as Reliance Communications (RCom)—once stood as the telecom flagship of the Reliance empire. In the beginning, Reliance Communications (RCom) embodied disruptive growth with slashing call rates, bundled handsets, and rapid expansion into India's underserved markets. However, within a decade, Anil Ambani's spiraled from market leader to bankruptcy. How did Reliance Infocomm grew so big? Launched in the early 2000s, Reliance Infocomm rapidly grew under Anil Ambani's leadership after the 2005 split of Reliance Industries. The company pioneered CDMA services in India with the 'Monsoon Hungama' campaign, making mobile telephony accessible to lower-income segments. Riding high on investor enthusiasm, RCom's IPO in 2006 was oversubscribed dozens of times, allowing it to build one of the country's largest telecom networks. Notably, Reliance Infocomm revolutionized the telecom market by offering CDMA mobile phones for Rs 501 under the 'Monsoon Hungama' plan in 2003, giving a tough competition to Idea and Bharti Airtel. How did Reliance Communications' downfall come? Reliance Communications' downfall was driven by poor strategic choices, including sticking too long with outdated CDMA technology and entering the GSM space late. The launch of Reliance Jio by Mukesh Ambani worsened its decline. Mounting debt, failed deals, and rising losses led RCom to file for bankruptcy in 2019, marking the collapse of what was once a telecom giant. Anil Ambani's Reliance Group announces Rs 18000 crore investment plan Anil Ambani's Reliance Group will focus on defence, power and clean energy sectors to chart the next phase of growth that will train resources on innovation and value creation, it said on Sunday. Just as financial crime-fighting agency, Enforcement Directorate concluded searches at locations linked to the group as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering and siphoning of public funds, over 100 top leaders from its two listed firms — Reliance Infrastructure and Reliance Power — convened in Mumbai on Sunday to reaffirm their commitment to its ambitious growth roadmap. (With inputs from agencies)
