The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has strongly reacted to Moody’s Investors Service, declaring that an investment service has made broad allegations against Aadhaar, which is recognized as the most reliable digital ID globally, without presenting any substantiating proof. Over the last ten years, Aadhaar has garnered the trust of over one billion Indians who have used it for more than 100 billion verifications.
Ministry Challenges Moody’s Claims About Aadhaar’s Reliability and Service Denials
The Union Ministry of Electronic and IT pointed out that Moody’s report lacks both primary and secondary data or research to support its opinions. In its report, Moody’s had raised concerns about service denials within Aadhaar’s system and questioned the reliability of biometric technologies, particularly for manual labourers.
Addressing these concerns, the ministry explained that payments to workers under schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) are made by directly crediting money into their accounts, eliminating the need for biometric authentication.
Secure Biometric Authentication and Global Recognition of Aadhaar: A Government Perspective
The government also highlighted that biometric authentication can be performed through contactless methods like face and iris recognition, in addition to mobile OTP options. It emphasized that there have been no reported breaches in the Aadhaar database, a fact that has been consistently disclosed in response to parliamentary inquiries.
Furthermore, the government noted that global institutions such as the IMF and World Bank have praised the role of Aadhaar. The G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), as reported by the World Bank, also recognized Aadhaar’s contribution to expanding access to transaction accounts.
Aadhaar, which is provided by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), is a distinctive identification card associated with an individual’s fingerprints, facial features, and eye scan.
