“We are looking at how the smartphone can evolve into a universal authenticator. This is an area of ​​work that is underway and we hope that we will be able to move rapidly in that direction. Where they are, stay, stay etc,” Garg said.
He said that at present out of the total 120 crore mobile connections there are 80 crore smartphones which can be used for authentication. However, no additional details were shared on how the identification process could be completed using a smartphone.
Garg said privacy and data protection are important for the authority, and added that the Aadhaar number is on its way to become a “single identity that is universally available and authentic”.
Direct benefit transfers done using Aadhaar and number have helped the government save Rs 2 lakh crore by preventing leakages and duplication, he said.
The banking and telecom industry has increasingly adopted Aadhaar numbers to meet the Know Your Customer norms, he said, adding that 70 crore or half of the total bank accounts have been linked with Aadhaar.
However, the number of pension accounts (3 crore) and mutual fund holders (about 10 crore) is very small and those industries should use the facilities offered by Aadhaar to rapidly expand coverage, Garg said.
He said UIDAI has now reduced the fee for full KYC to Rs 3 per authentication and 50 paise for a simple ‘yes or no’ authentication to increase the usage.
At present, there are 130 crore Aadhaar cards, covering 99.5 per cent of the country’s population, he said, adding that efforts are on to bring the remaining 0.5 per cent residents into the fold.