View: Aadhaar up for more heavy lifting

No project in India has faced as much scrutiny as Aadhaar. Civil society organisations had labelled it a step toward an Orwellian state, while others argued that it fostered exclusion. Some even alleged that it facilitates illegal immigrants obtaining Indian citizenship. Even a parliamentary standing committee criticised it as directionless and unnecessary.

Despite these obstacles, Aadhaar is now central to India’s public service delivery systems, and plays a crucial role in digital transactions through authentication services. It has created multiple digital artefacts, including eKYC, online digital signatures (eSign), DigiLocker and Consent artefacts.