UIDAI slashes Aadhaar authentication charge to Rs 3 from Rs 20: CEO

Aadhaar custodian UIDAI has slashed the price for authentication by customers to Rs 3 from Rs 20 per instance to enable entities leverage its infrastructure for providing ease of living to people through various services and benefits.

While speaking at Global Fintech Fest organised by NPCI-IAMAI, Unique Identity Authority of India CEO Saurabh Garg said that the potential of leveraging Aadhaar in the financial technology sector is immense.

"We have slashed the rate from Rs 20 per authentication to Rs 3 and the objective has been to ensure that different agencies, entities should be able to use the power of digital infrastructure which has been created by the state that needs to be used to provide people with ease of living with dignity," Garg said.

Till date, more than 99 crore eKYC have been done using Aadhaar system.

"I think it gives a cost effective and non-repudiable solution to fintech companies to onboard new customers. That is where the power lies and KYC of the Aadhar provides lifetime and reusable identity which is the power of the Aadhaar system," Garg said.

He said that UIDAI does not share biometrics with anyone and expects all its partners to maintain the same level of security and privacy as the authority does.