Aadhaar - Providing Proof of Identity to One Billion √Vv Vvv
REACH PROJECT | 2017 India Case study: Aadhaar - providing proof of identity to one billion √vV vvv
CONTENTS 1 CHAPTER 1 Proof of identity: a powerful tool for inclusion
8 CHAPTER 2 Enrollment ecosystem
14 CHAPTER 3 Accessible enrollment process
23 CHAPTER 4 Active reach
28 CHAPTER 5 Delivery
33 CHAPTER 6 Linkages
39 CHAPTER 7 Lessons learned
42 OUR TEAM Proof of identity: a powerful tool for inclusion Introduction 1
CHAPTER 1
Proof of identity: A powerful tool for inclusion
Proof of identity can be a find employment in the powerful tool for inclusion. formal sector, vote, or purchase a SIM card. Even With proof of identity, an more troubling is that when individual can gain access to marginalized individuals lack services, claim government proof of identity, they may benefits, and participate miss out on the government more fully in the economy. welfare and protection Recognizing the importance schemes that are intended to of identification as a tool for benefit them. inclusion, Target 16.9 of the Social Development Goals In India, proof of identity (SDGs) is to “provide legal facilitates inclusion in identity for all” by 2030. numerous ways. Proof Yet the World Bank finds of identity can enable that, as of February 2016, individuals to access social approximately 1.5 billion welfare programs. A number people in the developing of these programs involve world lack legal proof of the transfer of cash to identity. beneficiaries in order to meet the costs of household needs. Without identification, an individual may struggle Proof of identity also enables to claim government cash individuals to access banking transfers, enroll for school, services, including the ability Proof of identity: a powerful tool for inclusion The identification landscape in India 2
to open a savings account or send remittances. Proof of identity is also Permanent Account Number a widespread requirement to register children for school in India, which turns cards and the National Rural a lack thereof into an important concern Employment Guarantee Act for many families. Having a government- issued, widely-recognized proof of identity Permanent Account Number (PAN) can also help marginalized individuals, cards are issued by the Income Tax notably migrants, avoid harassment by the Department. While they serve as police. proof of identity when individuals make tax payments and receive Further, for those who have previously income tax returns, they can also lacked their own individual proof of be used as proof of identity when identity – independent of identification accessing other services. shared and possessed by other family members - gaining proof of identity can National Rural Employment Gurantee create a sense of empowerment and give Act (NREGA) is a social program that an individual more agency. provides rural households with a guaranteed minimum amount of paid Taken together, a proof of identity ensures work. that an individual benefits in a larger context from the programs, services, and other opportunities available to them.
The identification landscape in India
Prior to 2010, the landscape of identification in India was fragmented. Forms of identification that are more widely accepted as proof of identity, including passports and Permanent Account Number (PAN) cards, were held only by a relatively small number of individuals. By contrast, the more widely held identification documents – ration cards, National Rural Employment Gurantee Act (NREGA) cards, and voter ID cards - have more limited utility.
The utility of ration cards, NREGA cards, and voter identification cards are limited by their lack of portability, concerns about Proof of identity: a powerful tool for inclusion The identification landscape in India 3
fraud, and the family-based nature of some of the cards. Added to these limitations is the family- based or “relational” nature of some In India, the portability of common pieces of identification – notably NREGA identification documents can be limited cards and ration cards. Because NREGA by geography or by the purpose of a cards and ration cards are issued to document. Many individuals in India are families, and not individuals, family unable to use their ration cards, NREGA and gender dynamics may restrict the cards, and voter identification cards ability of some family members to use outside the state in which the document the document. This challenge is made was produced, limiting their geographic more acute if family members decide to portability. migrate within the country, either taking the identity document with them or Voter identification cards can also leaving it behind. have limited functional portability, as they may not be accepted as proof of Taken together, these characteristics identification for some purposes beyond of common forms of identification in voting. Fraud is also widespread among India reduce the usefulness of these identification documents in India. Due documents, and ultimately limit the to concerns about fraud, PAN cards, extent to which an individual can use voter identification cards, and ration these identification documents as a cards may be refused. tool for inclusion.
Estimated Coverage Proof of Identity in 2008
Passport 40 Million
PAN Card 70 Million
Ration Card 220 Million
Voter ID 500 Million
Source: “Aadhaar: Inclusive by design”. GSMA. 2017. Proof of identity: a powerful tool for inclusion The creation of Aadhaar 4
The creation of Aadhaar population alone, which was the focus of enrollment for the first several years, In 2009, recognizing the importance a saturation rate of over 100 percent, of proof of identity and its role in based on 2015 population projections, promoting social inclusion, the Indian has been achieved. Government created the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). The ability to create a proof of identity The UIDAI was mandated with the for over a billion individuals since 2009 task of providing a unique and non- stands out as a remarkable example duplicable proof of identity to every of reach. This success is made even resident of India. This proof of identity more remarkable after considering took the form of a unique identification the context in which it has been number (UID), that is linked to an achieved. India is a country of immense individual’s iris scans and fingerprints, geographic and linguistic diversity. as well as basic demographic data. This Roughly 70 percent of India’s population identification number was given the lives in rural areas. And according to the name: “Aadhaar.” World Bank, as of 2012 approximately 270 millions Indians – roughly one in The word Aadhaar means “foundation” five - was poor. in several Indian languages. With Aadhaar, the central government sought Each of these characteristics can present to create an identification system that challenges for social service delivery. would be used throughout the country – Yet throughout the country, the Unique serving as a foundation for the provision Identification Authority of India has of services and benefits. For individuals, worked in cooperation with other an Aadhaar number offers proof of governmental departments, businesses, identity that is accepted across states and non-governmental organizations and union territories by a wide number to enroll roughly 90 percent of Indian of service providers. For the government residents for Aadhaar. and other service providers, Aadhaar’s biometric de-duplication was designed Our team has identified several factors to help prevent duplicate payments, which have contributed to India’s leakage, and other sources of fraud. success in creating portable proof of identity for over a billion of its residents As of May 2017, over 1.14 million – and counting. These are discussed in individuals have been enrolled for greater detail in this report. an Aadhaar number. Based on the projected population for 2015, 89.6 percent of India’s population has been enrolled. Examining the adult >>>>>> Proof of identity: a powerful tool for inclusion The creation of Aadhaar 5
The enrollment ecosystem Inclusion of hard to reach groups
Under the Unique Identification The enrollment process was Authority of India (UIDAI)’s designed to be accessible to India’s leadership, a network of different diverse residents, with special government agencies and private consideration given to the inclusion businesses participate in the of hard to reach groups. enrollment process. The network of these organizations is referred to as the “enrollment ecosystem”. Learn more > CHAPTER 3
Learn more > CHAPTER 2
Active reach Succesful delivery
The UIDAI and its partners have Through the efforts of India’s used numerous methods of active postal service and the assistance of reach to encourage enrollment. some NGOs, many Aadhaar cards Of particular importance, local have been successfully delivered partners have been given the to individuals. Those who do not flexibility and autonomy to use receive their Aadhaar card by mail methods of active reach best suited can follow up with a call center, or to their target populations. log in to an online portal to look up their Aadhaar number. Learn more > CHAPTER 4 Learn more > CHAPTER 5
Linkages
Aadhaar has been linked to a variety of services and benefits. These linkages have generated widespread demand for enrollment, facilitating Aadhaar’s reach.
Learn more > CHAPTER 6 >>>>>> Proof of identity: a powerful tool for inclusion About this research 6
While India has been successful in About this research enrolling the vast majority of its residents for Aadhaar, some challenges The following report is the result of and controversies persist. On the issue a year-long research project, carried of Aadhaar card delivery, there have out by Professor Joseph Wong of the been reports of delays and failures to Munk School of Global Affairs and the have an Aadhaar number delivered Department of Political Science at the (Chapter 5). University of Toronto, Kirstyn Koswin, Research Officer at the Reach Project, Aadhaar’s linkages to other services and four student researchers: Carol and benefits have also been a source of Drumm, Nikhil Pandey, Shruti Sardesai, controversy. Much of the controversy and Cheryl Young. relates to reports of false authentication failures and data leaks, and debates This research is made possible about whether Aadhaar ought to be through a partnership between the mandatory for access to services and Munk School of Global Affairs and the benefits (Chapter 6). Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth. In addition to the support of these
From left to right: Kirstyn Koswin, Nikhil Pandey, Carol Drumm, Shruti Sardesai, Sneha Banerjee (research assistant), Cheryl Young Proof of identity: a powerful tool for inclusion About this research 7
two organizations, research was also grateful to have had the opportunity to funded by the Canada Research Chairs speak with and learn from you. program; and the Ralph and Roz Halbert Professorship of Innovation at the Munk This research project, including School of Global Affairs. fieldwork, was vetted and received approval by the Ethics Review Board of Research was conducted from the University of Toronto. September 2016 through May 2017, including primary fieldwork in India in This report is the fifth in a series of April 2017. case study reports on the concept of development reach, and specifically The authors of this report would like to innovative programs that are express our gratitude and appreciation successfully reaching populations to those we met and interviewed in that are the hardest to reach. Our India, including government officials, earlier reports, as well as various blog civil society activists, businesses, and insight pieces, can be retrieved professionals from international on the Reach Project website (http:// organizations, and scholars. We are reachprojectuoft.com). Enrollment ecosystem Introduction 8
CHAPTER 2
Enrollment ecoystem
Since its creation in 2009, India (UIDAI), has roughly Aadhaar has given proof of 280 full time staff. With identity to over one billion so few staff, how was Indian residents. While Aadhaar enrollment spread the speed of enrollment throughout India with such is remarkable on its own, speed and breadth? The it is made even more answer: through partnerships remarkable by the fact that and contracts with other the government agency government agencies and with primary responsibility private businesses, referred for Aadhaar, the Unique to as the Aadhaar “enrollment Identification Authority of ecosystem.” Enrollment ecosystem The UIDAI and its ecosystem 9
The UIDAI and its ecosystem
Sample List of Registrars The UIDAI was created in 2009 as a federal agency with the mandate of »» Axis Bank Ltd. issuing a unique identification number to every resident in India. Headquartered in »» Bank of India Delhi with a network of regional offices »» Director of Health, Family throughout the country, the UIDAI is »»and Welfare, UT responsible for the design of the Aadhaar »» Social Welfare Department, identification system, and for overseeing »» Government of Bihar enrollment and authentication. While »» State Bank of Hyderabad the UIDAI is the government agency responsible for Aadhaar, the identification »» Tamil Nadu eGovernance system was designed to both enable and »» Agency incentivize other government agencies and private businesses to assist in the process of enrollment. The UIDAI refers to this network of government agencies and private businesses as the “enrollment ecosystem.”
In the enrollment ecosystem, the UIDAI establishes partnerships with organizations that work as registrars. Registrars coordinate and oversee enrollment activities and enrollment agencies, using standards and processes outlined by the UIDAI. Registrars tend to be public organizations that already provide services to Indian residents, like government departments or banks. These registrars hire enrollment agencies to perform the work of enrolling individual residents for Aadhaar.
Enrollment agencies are typically private businesses. In some cases, registrars also conduct individual enrollments.
With only approximately 280 full-time staff working for the UIDAI - based primarily in national headquarters and Enrollment ecosystem Standardization 10
regional offices, the ecosystem model of information entered into the has allowed the UIDAI to bring identification system remains high, Aadhaar enrollment to over 1.14 while allowing a variety of different billion Indian residents (as of May organizations to conduct enrollments. 2017) in a matter of years. UIDAI’s standardization of enrolment procedures has also made any Standardization manipulation and corruption of the enrollment system more challenging While enrollment is overseen by – with the aim of ensuring that registrars and performed primarily government benefits and services by enrollment agencies, policies and accessed through Aadhaar are allocated procedures have been put in place by to the intended people. the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to make the process of The UIDAI has promoted and reinforced enrollment consistent throughout the standardization through the creation country. of enrollment software, and through a certification process for enrollment Through standardization, the UIDAI equipment, agencies, and operators. aims to ensure that the quality Throughout the country, operators
Doomroli, Rajasthan. The owner of this store has been certified as an Enrollment Operator. He conducts Aadhaar enrollments for residents of Doomroli and in surrounding areas. Enrollment ecosystem Standardization 11
use the same software to conduct new enrollment that takes place – enrollments. resulting in the issue of a new Aadhaar number – the registrar responsible is The program is designed to be simple transferred a defined amount of money. and easy to use, while the back-end The registrar is then responsible for technology enforces certain compensating the enrollment agency requirements before an enrollment that made the enrollment. In this way, can be successfully completed. For Aadhaar was designed to encourage example, an operator may be prompted government agencies and businesses to to have the enrollee provide their iris participate in the enrollment process scan. If the scan is not of a high enough and to ensure that enrollments are quality, the individual will be prompted successfully completed. to re-scan the iris. These prompts are designed to be simple and easy to follow. There are a number of additional incentives that encourage large-scale, Through the certification of enrollment legitimate, and rapid enrollment. These equipment, the UIDAI is able to verify incentives are built into the design of that the different tools and technologies the ecosystem model. To participate in required for enrollment are working the enrollment ecosystem, enrollment effectively and consistently. Similarly, agencies must purchase software and through the certification of enrollment equipment certified by the UIDAI. agencies and operators, the UIDAI aims to ensure that the processes for As enrollment agencies are only managing enrollment and interpersonal paid per successful enrollment, they interactions during enrollment are both are incentivized to enroll as many appropriate and effective. individuals as possible. Payments for new enrollments allow enrollment Collectively, these approaches to agencies to recover their equipment standardization make it possible for a costs, and then begin to make a profit variety of organizations to participate on their enrollment work. Further, in enrollment, while allowing the UIDAI the biometric mechanisms to prevent and partners to manage the quality duplicate entries that are built into the of the information collected and the Aadhaar database make it difficult to experience of the individual enrolling. re-enroll someone once they have had an Aadhaar number created. As a result, Incentives for participation enrollment agencies are incentivized to seek out individuals without an To encourage potential registrars and Aadhaar number, and enroll them. enrollment agencies to participate in Enrollment agencies and registrars are the enrollment ecosystem, the Unique also in competition with one another to Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) conduct as many enrollments as possible has designed a payment structure that given the limits of their own resources rewards new enrollments. For every and resident population - further Enrollment ecosystem Nodal officers: identifying and closing enrollment gaps 12
incentivizing efficient and widespread enrollment. Low enrollment rates for underage population Nodal officers: identifying and closing enrollment gaps Throughout 2017, certain Unique Nodal Officers play a lead role in enrolling Identification Authority of India every Indian resident for Aadhaar. (UIDAI) regional offices and nodal offices have worked with schools, Nodal officers work closely with registrars, orphanages, and anganwadis across enrollment agencies, community members, India to reach children under the and the Unique Identification Authority age of 18. As a group, children under of India (UIDAI) to identify and address the age of 18 still have relatively low enrollment gaps. In each state or union enrollment rates. territory, the UIDAI has designated one nodal officer to support Aadhaar enrollment. Nodal officers are typically part of a specific department within a state government. While nodal officers generally act as registrars, they have several additional responsibilities which make critical contributions to the reach of Aadhaar enrollment.
Nodal officers are responsible for coordinating between the UIDAI and other Aadhaar partners, managing state contact centers and phone lines; forming working groups to discuss best practices for enrollment; and launching special enrollment drives to target populations that have not yet been reached by Aadhaar.
Most critically, nodal officers are expected to take an active role in filling enrollment gaps through special enrollment drives. In the Nodal Office of Karnataka, individuals we spoke with were leading efforts to identify and enroll members of scheduled tribes in remote locations. According to an individual at the Nodal Office, private Enrollment ecosystem Summary 13
enrollment agencies that were active in government in ensuring that the hardest the state lacked the financial incentives to reach are not excluded from to enroll the remaining individuals who enrollment. did not have an Aadhaar number. Summary The cost to travel long distances with several staff, only to enroll one Aadhaar’s enrollment success is built on or two individuals, is greater than relationships between different levels the payment received for each new of government and private businesses – enrollment. In this situation, the Nodal referred to as the enrollment ecosystem. Office subsidizes the cost of Aadhaar As the government lead on Aadhaar, the enrollment for individuals in remote Unique Identification Authority of India locations. developed the identification system, and standards governing enrollment. These efforts to organize targeted Closer to the ground, registrars organize enrollment drives are vital to and equip enrollment agencies to carry ensuring that India’s most remote and out enrollment processes. In areas marginalized residents also benefit from or communities where hard-to-reach Aadhaar. individuals live, Nodal Officers work to ensure that these individuals are not The UIDAI’s reliance on an enrollment missed. Together, these organizations ecosystem has enabled private have created an enrollment process that enrollment agencies to quickly and is swift, broad, and inclusive. efficiently enroll large groups of Indian residents for Aadhaar. However, the existence and work of Nodal Offices illustrate the vital role of the Accessible enrollment process Introduction 14
CHAPTER 3
Accessible enrollment process
To reach the hardest to reach, enrollment process to reach the Unique Identification people who do not have any Authority of India designed form of identification, live the Aadhaar enrollment in remote and rural areas process so that it would be without internet connectivity, widely accessible. Aadhaar or do not have an address. enrollment is intended to be Further, the presence of fast and simple – with a small multiple registrars and number of informational enrollment agencies allows requirements. To facilitate many individuals to choose inclusion, certain mechanisms where and when to enroll. were imbedded into the Accessible enrollment process Enrollment process 15
Registrar
Central Enrollment Enrollment Enrollment Identities Aadhaar agency center station Data number Repository
POA, POI, Aadhaar introducer, Biometric letter or head of information e-Aadhaar family
Resident
Enrollment process form. The small volume of demographic information collected is intended to The process of enrollment has been reduce the time and information burden designed to be quick and accessible. on the individual enrolling, ensuring the To enroll, individuals are required to process is as efficient as possible. present themselves at an enrolment center with proof-of-identification and During enrollment, the operator also proof-of-address. There is no enrollment collects biometric information from fee. the individual. This information will enable biometric identity verification Once at the enrollment center, after enrollment is complete. The operators guide the individual through operator typically captures iris scans, the enrollment process. Less than 10 ten fingerprints, and a portrait photo pieces of demographic information are with facial-recognition technologies. required to complete the enrollment After biometrics are captured, they are Accessible enrollment process Enrollment process 16
compared against the other biometrics few duplicate or fake identities are already stored in the database. This created. comparison of biometric data – referred to as de-duplication – may take place Once both demographic and biometric in real time if the individual is being information have been captured and enrolled in an area with internet input into the enrollment software, an connectivity. However, recognizing individual can leave the enrollment that a number of India’s residents live center. After enrollment, Aadhaar in rural areas without internet, the numbers are delivered to an individual’s enrollment software was designed to home. The delivery process is discussed operate offline. in greater detail in chapter 5.
If the individual is being enrolled in an Biometric exception area without internet, their biometrics will be de-duplicated once the operator For a number of people, Aadhaar’s returns to an area with connectivity. biometric requirements pose a barrier to enrollment. To obtain an Aadhaar Notably, the over 99.9 percent successful number, residents are asked to provide de-duplication rate ensures that very their ten fingerprints and scans of their
Enrollment equipment displays an individual’s iris. Accessible enrollment process Biometric exception 17
two irises. However for some, providing this information is impossible. For some Sample list of supported POI elderly individuals, providing the required documents containing name biometric information can be difficult as age can degrade fingertips and iris and photo scanners may struggle to capture accurate images. Many of India’s poorest residents »» Passport work as laborers, and fingerprint »» PAN card scanners may be unable to capture their »» Ration / PDS photo card worn fingertips. Additionally, injury, »» Voter ID amputation of fingers and hands, and eye »» Driving license disease create situations where biometric »» Government photo ID cards / information cannot be collected. »» service photo identity card »» issued by PSU To ensure that individuals with the »» NREGA job card above conditions are not excluded »» Photo ID issued by recognized from Aadhaar enrollment, the Unique »» educational institution Identification Authority of India has »» Arms license embedded “biometric exception” into the »» Photo bank ATM card enrollment system. If fingerprint or iris »» Photo credit card scan collection is not possible, operators »» Pensioner photo card can waive the biometric requirement, »» Freedom Fighter photo card and move forward with the enrollment »» Address card having name and process. In this situation, the enrollment »» photo issued by Department of operator will note the nature of the »» Posts biometric exception, take a picture of the »» Certificate of identity having exception, and upload this picture onto the »» photo issued by Gazetted resident’s application. »» Officer or Tehsildar on »» letterhead Proof of identity and address
Source: UIDAI Website Residents must provide Proof of Identity (POI) and Proof of Address (POA) documents as part of the enrollment process. But for many individuals in India, proving their identity and address is a challenge. It is for this very reason that Aadhaar was created.
To address this challenge, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) allows residents to confirm their identity Accessible enrollment process Proof of identity and address 18
and address with numerous POI and POA documents. There are 18 types of POI Sample list of supported POA documents and 35 types of POA documents documents containing name that are accepted at enrollment centers. In India, many residents find that when and photo they move from one state to another, the identification they used is no longer »» Passport accepted. »» Bank statement / passbook »» Post Office account statement / The UIDAI has ensured that this is not »» passbook a problem for Aadhaar enrollment; if a »» Ration card document is one of the approved POIs or »» Voter ID POAs, it will be accepted irrespective of the »» Driving license state where the document was produced. »» Signed letter having photo Similarly, many documents that have been »» from Bank on letterhead produced for specific purposes – such as »» Signed letter having photo ration cards or voter ID cards – are also »» issued by recognized accepted as POI and POA during Aadhaar »» educational institutions on enrollment. A ration card or voter ID »» letterhead card issued in Chhattisgarh will be »» NREGA job card accepted by an enrollment agency as »» Certificate of address having POI in Delhi. »» photo issued by MP or MLA »» or Gazetted Officer or Tehsildar A related challenge that the UIDAI has had »» on letterhead to overcome was ensuring that residents »» Certificate of address issued who have no form of identification could »» by Village Panchayat head or its still receive an Aadhaar number. »» equivalent authority (for rural »» areas) Determining how to provide identification »» Marriage certificate issued by to people who have never had any form of »» the government containing identification is challenging, as enrollment »» address operators need a way to confirm that a resident is who they say they are. Source: UIDAI Website To address this challenge, the UIDAI created “Introducers.” An Introducer is a person authorized by the UIDAI or by a registrar to confirm the identity and address of a resident applying for Aadhaar. Introducers are typically well known in a certain area or they may work directly with marginalized people. Accessible enrollment process Proof of identity and address 19
Certain NGOs, such as the Bangalore-based Parinaam, issue certificates of identity to the clients that they serve. Many of Parinaam’s clients are wage laborers and among the city’s extreme poor.
Examples of Introducers include anticipated. According to a government school principals, representatives of information request that was published local NGOs, and local government in Scroll, as of October 2016 the officials. Individuals can apply to be Introducer mechanism had only been an Introducer through their state’s used for approximately 0.8 percent of Deputy Commissioner, or the UIDAI total enrollments. Instead, a number of Regional Office itself may identify the policymakers we spoke to believe individuals to be Introducers. Once that a similar system, which relies on officiated, Introducers can go out into written letters of introduction, has been the community to identify individuals more widely used during enrollment. without documents, or they can remain at the Enrollment Centre to endorse These letters of introduction are individuals who walk in. included in the list of accepted POIs and POAs, and are referred to as a certificate However, Introducers have not of identity. Certificates of identity been responsible for as many new must be issued by a designated official enrollments as the UIDAI initially – a Gazetted Officer – on letterhead. Accessible enrollment process Enrollment centers and mobile enrollment 20
Gazetted Officers can include local Enrollment centers and mobile political leaders or NGOs. enrollment
As these certificates are considered To enroll the approximately 1.3 billion POI and POA documents, they are residents of India, the UIDAI needed not counted among the number of to ensure there was a comprehensive enrollments facilitated by Introducers. network of conveniently-placed However, the intended effect is the enrollment centers across the country. same; marginalized individuals – Registrars have worked with enrollment those who are least likely to have a agencies to organize the setup of these POI and POA – are able to use these centers, while enrolment agencies have certificates to enroll for Aadhaar. been primarily responsible for the operation of the centers. For many Indian residents who do not have a fixed address, certificates In the early phases of Aadhaar of identity provide enough flexibility enrollment, a large number of to ensure they are not excluded from temporary centers operated alongside Aadhaar enrollment. Instead of listing permanent centers. The goal of the a specific house number, the official temporary centers was to enroll providing the certificate can describe individuals who previously did not have an individual’s place of residence. For an Aadhaar number. As of July 2017, an individual that lives in a slum, their the UIDAI was managing an additional address may simply be the name of the 5,419 temporary centers in areas where slum where they reside. a significant number of residents were still not enrolled. Alongside As a result, many families that live in these temporary centers, there were slums have obtained their Aadhaar 24,779 permanent enrolment centers numbers under the same address. in operation as of July 2017. As India Residents of night shelters can also has already reached approximately obtain a letter from shelter staff, listing 90 percent saturation for Aadhaar the shelter as their address. enrollment, these permanent enrollment centers are now used primarily for Another enrollment mechanism similar enrolling newborns and carrying out to Introducers is head-of-household profile updates for existing enrollees. enrollment. If a head-of-household has the required POI and POA documents, Mobile enrollment centers are also he or she can first enroll and then critical to ensuring that all residents introduce other people in the family for are included in the enrollment process. enrollment. The head-of-household is Mobile enrollment centers are used to not considered an official Introducer, so reach people who are unable to visit head-of-household enrollments are also temporary or permanent enrollment not counted among the total Introducer- centers. This includes people in facilitated enrollments. extremely rural and remote locations Accessible enrollment process Enrollment centers and mobile enrollment 21
and also individuals who are unable to the local enrollment operators, who walk, like some patients in hospitals and know their communities well. In the nursing homes. state, district coordinators choose the locations where enrollment should be Aadhaar was designed so that performed and then hire operators enrollment could be done in a variety of from those areas to perform enrollment. locations. Enrollment can be conducted Operators undergo two days of training by one to two operators and the and an examination. equipment required for enrollment is mobile. Mobile enrollment centers are The operators choose what type of typically vehicles outfitted with the transportation is most suitable for an equipment required for enrollment area, have relationships with people in (laptop, printer, iris scanner, fingerprint the areas they work in, and understand scanner, white screen). In certain the challenges involved in enrollment. remote areas, four-wheelers are too big The work of these local enrollment for the roads and so two-wheelers must operators is discussed in greater detail be used instead. in chapter 4.
In Karnataka, the success of mobile enrollment was partly attributed to
At an enrollment center in Bangalore, a sign displays the hours of operation. Accessible enrollment process Enrollment center choice 22
Enrollment center choice turned away from a certain enrollment center, they can visit any other center To bring Aadhaar enrollment to and request to be enrolled there. India’s marginalized residents, the UIDAI believes that there needs to Choice helps ensure greater inclusion be numerous points of entry into for individuals who might be dissuaded the system. Through the enrollment from enrollment due to the opportunity ecosystem – with numerous registrars cost or experiences of discrimination. As and enrollment agencies throughout one interview participant put it, “choice the country – the UIDAI is able to offer creates reach.” residents a choice about when and where to enroll, and with whom to Summary enroll with. Aadhaar enrollment was designed to Offering residents a choice about where be accessible to India’s many diverse to enroll makes Aadhaar enrollment residents, with special consideration more accessible and inclusive. The given to the inclusion of hard-to-reach opportunity to enroll at a variety of groups. Aadhaar enrollment has been different enrollment centres allows an designed to be both free and simple, individual to choose the location most with no fee to enroll and less than 10 convenient for them, which makes pieces of demographic information it more likely that an individual will required. enroll. If a particular enrollment center has a long line, or is far away from an In the enrollment process, provisions individual’s home or work, they can seek exist to ensure that individuals who out one of the many other enrollment are unable to provide iris scans or centers. fingerprints are not excluded. Similarly, recognizing the difficulty that many Having this choice is also important already-marginalized individuals face because it can reduce the discrimination when asked to provide Proof of Identity that some individuals experience when (POI) and Proof of Address (POA), the seeking government services. In India, Unique Identification Authority of members of already marginalized India has developed the Introducer groups may experience discrimination system and a broad list of acceptable from government officials. This problem POIs and POAs. Further, the ability to is exacerbated when an individual must choose when and where to enroll helps visit a specific registrar or office to have ensure residents are not dissuaded from a service provided, which is the case enrollment due to discrimination or for the majority of government services inconvenience. in India. With Aadhaar, if a resident is Active reach Introduction 23
CHAPTER 4
Active reach
Before an individual can public information campaigns enroll, they must first learn have been a part of Aadhaar’s about Aadhaar and the enrollment success. The enrollment process. Word of efforts of a variety of different mouth is a common source of partner organizations have information about Aadhaar. also been critical in extending However, reliance on word of Aadhaar enrollment. mouth alone is insufficient for informing and enrolling all of In both urban and rural India’s residents. areas, the autonomy given to partner organizations to Since the creation of Aadhaar develop their own methods in 2009, the UIDAI and its of active reach has led to partners have used numerous greater enrollment among methods of active reach many of India’s hard to to encourage enrollment. reach communities. Widespread and multi-faceted Active reach Public information campaigns 24
Public information campaigns the UIDAI, enrollment agencies were also given the flexibility to develop local Though Aadhaar is well known campaigns using their own materials. throughout India today, the Similarly, Nodal Officers were given identification program did not have the the autonomy to take initiative in the same widespread recognition when the development and implementation of Unique Identification Authority of India public information campaigns. At the (UIDAI) was first created. To encourage Nodal Office in Karnataka, a celebrity individuals to enroll, the UIDAI and its from the local film industry was hired to partners needed to ensure that Indian produce a television ad. residents were aware of Aadhaar’s existence, and how enrollment would Recognizing that the need for proof of benefit them. identity is greatest among those who are poor and marginalized, the UIDAI In addition to this, organizations developed communication materials involved in enrollment had to make specifically targeted to hard-to-reach residents aware of when and where populations. enrollment would take place. To do this, public information campaigns were These hard-to-reach populations include designed and implemented by the actors individuals in remote areas without involved in Aadhaar enrollment. access to television and radio, and also individuals with limited literacy At the center, the UIDAI has produced skills – both groups that may be missed a variety of informational materials by traditional public information to inform Indian residents about campaigns. Some of the techniques Aadhaar, and the benefits enrollment used to reach these groups include can provide. As most enrollment done the development and production of in urban settings is by large enrollment dramas and songs, and the use of agencies, these enrollment agencies local announcement speakers to share have been important partners in the information about Aadhaar enrollment implementation of public information and its benefits. campaigns. Enrollment operators, district The UIDAI instructed enrollment coordinators, and local networks agencies to set up public information campaigns before opening an Enrollment operators have played a enrollment center, and provided these central role in ensuring individuals enrollment agencies with a variety from remote rural areas are reached of UIDAI-produced informational by Aadhaar enrollment. In Karnataka, materials. These materials included enrollment operators are recruited posters, print ads, and template radio from the areas where they will conduct announcements. Apart from the enrollments. This ensures that these informational materials developed by operators know the communities in Active reach Enrollment operators, district coordinators, and local networks 25
which they will be working.
Managing difficult terrain to This knowledge gives operators a better reach the hard to reach understanding of how to access especially remote areas.
According to Sowmya Aji of India’s District coordinators are also well- Economic Times, in Chamarajanagar, positioned to conduct outreach to local a district in Karnataka which is government and community leaders, largely covered in forest, enrollment whose support helps promote participation operators know they must travel on in enrollment. In Karnataka, district two-wheelers to reach people in the coordinators would reach out to local district. village leaders before enrollment operators travelled to a specific area to conduct These operators must also navigate enrollment. other challenges, including travel down narrow trails frequented Through advance communication with by many animals, and gaining the local leaders, district coordinators are permission of forest guards before able to convince community leaders of entering certain tribal areas. the value of enrollment, and in turn these leaders encourage community members to enroll. This communication is especially important in areas where residents are nervous about enrollment and the technology that it uses. To minimize these fears, enrollment operators are sometimes accompanied by these local leaders. This helps make residents more comfortable with the enrollment process and demonstrates that Aadhaar enrollment is officially-sanctioned.
In Karnataka, to communicate with local government and community leaders, WhatsApp is often used. WhatsApp is a free instant messaging application for smart phones that uses the internet to send text messages and make phone calls. This app is widely used in India. District coordinators and enrollment operators will use the app to provide information to local leaders on upcoming enrollment Active reach NGOs - tapping into existing networks 26
opportunities. Information also flows India have been supportive of Aadhaar. in the reverse direction; local leaders While debate about Aadhaar is ongoing and local youth groups use WhatsApp (Chapter 6), we’d like to highlight to share the information of individuals some of the strategies used by NGOs to who have not yet been enrolled. encourage Aadhaar enrollment.
NGOs – tapping into existing networks NGOs encourage and facilitate enrollment in a number of ways. A Some NGOs recognize the importance number of NGOs we spoke to serve as of proof of identity, and its role in trusted sources of information for their facilitating access to a variety of clients. By sharing information about services, and actively encourage their Aadhaar enrollment and its benefits, clients to enroll, and help facilitate these NGOs have sensitized their clients their enrollment. A number of the to the importance of Aadhaar. NGOs we spoke with serve populations that have experienced poverty and This sensitization is valuable both as a marginalization. The efforts of these way to encourage individuals to enroll, NGOs to help their clients enroll for and also as a tool to ensure individuals Aadhaar is an important mechanism of are using and benefitting from their active reach. However, not all NGOs in Aadhaar numbers. The Society for the
After enrolling for Aadhaar, the Delhi-based NGO Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses (SPYM) has helped many clients open their first bank account. Active reach Summary 27
Protection of Youth and Masses (SPYM) drive, Parinaam will work closely provides an illustrative example. SPYM with its clients to ensure they have the is a Delhi-based NGO that works with information and documents required individuals who are homeless. Prior to for enrollment. For clients without the the introduction of Aadhaar, SPYM and necessary POI and POA documents, other NGOs that work with homeless Parinaam will provide certificates of populations were already undertaking identity. Through this work, NGOs bring a pilot project to provide proof of Aadhaar to their vulnerable clients not identity to homeless individuals, called reached by general enrollment drives. the Beghar Card. When Aadhaar was initiated, these NGOs used the existing Summary network they built through the Beghar Card pilot project to introduce Aadhaar. Active reach has driven enrollment among hard to reach groups in SPYM staff also visits homeless shelters both rural and urban contexts. For once a month to teach individuals about Aadhaar, active reach was achieved by the uses of Aadhaar and the benefits empowering local actors to leverage and services they can access through it. their networks. In rural contexts, These efforts have helped connect SPYM enrollment operators and district clients to services they can benefit from. coordinators have served as an entry point into remote communities. In addition to providing clients with In urban areas, a number of NGOs information, some NGOs have been have brought Aadhaar enrollment to actively involved in the organization marginalized individuals through their of enrollment drives. Parinaam, a pre-existing networks of clients. In both Bangalore-based NGO that works closely cases, the flexibility and autonomy given with urban extreme poor, is one such to local actors has allowed them to use organization. Parinaam coordinates methods of active reach best suited to with an enrollment agency to organize their target populations. enrollment drives specifically for their clients. In advance of an enrollment Delivery Introduction 28
CHAPTER 5
Delivery
The generation of an Many individuals receive their Aadhaar number is not an Aadhaar number through instant process. Instead, the efforts of India Post, the after enrollment takes place, assistance of NGOs, and the an individual’s biometric existence of call centers and data must be de-duplicated online portals. However, there before an Aadhaar number is have also been reports of generated. Once an Aadhaar delays in delivery, and failures number is generated, it will to have an Aadhaar letter be printed on a letter and delivered. mailed to an individual. Delivery Delivery timeline 29
3. 1. 2. Demographics and Enrollment operator Biometrics are biometrics uploaded inputs demographic recorded information to a database
4. 5.
Biometric data is Letter with Aadhaar de-duplicated and number is generated Aadhaar number and sent generated
Delivery timeline 3. The demographic and biometric data are uploaded to a database On paper, Aadhaar delivery is a by the enrollment agency and/or relatively simple process: registrar.
1. Individuals provide their 4. An individual’s biometric data is demographic information to an de-duplicated, and if successful an enrollment operator, who inputs Aadhaar number is generated. Once it into the enrollment software. generated, an individual’s Aadhaar Individuals also provide proof of number can be accessed online identity and proof of address. through the UIDAI portal.
2. Biometrics are recorded by the 5. A letter with an individual’s enrollment operator. Aadhaar number is printed and sent to them. Delivery The role of India Post 30
While the process is straightforward remote rural areas, as well as dense in theory, in reality there are many informal settlements in urban areas. complexities and complications that Both often lack fixed addresses. This is make the delivery of an Aadhaar possible because the staff of India Post letter challenging. knows the communities they work in, and are equipped to seek out individuals For individuals who live in housing within them. without postal addresses or in very rural communities, Aadhaar cards are In urban contexts, using the name more difficult to deliver. Also, internal of a slum, the name of an individual, migrants who move to different areas and the name of their spouse or other may have trouble receiving their family members, a post officer is often Aadhaar card if they have moved before able to ensure that an individual has their card is ready. their Aadhaar letter delivered to them. Similarly, in rural areas that lack fixed In these situations, some NGOs have addresses, a post officer is often able use assisted in efforts to ensure Aadhaar the name of an individual and the name numbers are delivered to these hard- of their village to deliver their Aadhaar to-reach individuals. But there are a letter. number of cases when an Aadhaar letter is not received by the individual that As soon as an Aadhaar number is enrolled for it, though the exact number generated, a letter is printed and sent of these cases is not known. by India Post to the address provided during enrollment. India Post marks In these situations, online portals and each envelope with a tracking number call centers are channels through which can be used to track the Aadhaar which an individual can obtain their letter as it makes its way to the address. Aadhaar number. However, these The letter can also be tracked by SMS channels ultimately rely on the efforts alerts and by calling an India Post of the individual to ensure the Aadhaar hotline number. number reaches them. Delivery through NGOs The role of India Post A number of NGOs have helped ensure The Indian Postal Service – known that Aadhaar numbers reach those for simply as “India Post” – is the largest whom they are intended. NGOs allow postal service in operation in the world. their clients to use the NGO mailing The UIDAI uses India Post, whose address for Aadhaar delivery and by coverage extends to almost the entirety assisting with follow-up during the of India, to distribute Aadhaar letters. delivery process. India Post’s comprehensive postal delivery network is capable of reaching Multiple NGOs have allowed their clients Delivery Delivery through NGOs 31
to use their address for the delivery The Disha Foundation has developed of Aadhaar numbers. When an NGO’s an approach to help distribute Aadhaar address is used for Aadhaar delivery, a letters to migrant workers, who may client is able to pick up their Aadhaar already be in a different location by the number when they visit the NGO for time their Aadhaar letter is delivered. services or other forms of support. This When one of Disha’s clients has enrolled method of Aadhaar delivery is used for Aadhaar, social workers from the by several organizations that support organization will inform the local individuals experiencing homelessness. post office, and ask the postal office to notify them when they receive the Through this delivery method, NGOs Aadhaar letter. When a migrant worker have helped ensure that individuals connected to the Disha Foundation who are experiencing homelessness, moves, they can also notify a social or whose address is worker, who will follow otherwise tentative, up at the post office on are not prevented from their behalf. receiving their Aadhaar Approximately number. 400 million When these Aadhaar letters are received For migrants, the members of by the post office, the delivery of an India’s workforce Disha Foundation Aadhaar letter can are internal collects the mail sometimes pose and works to have additional challenges. migrants. it delivered to the The challenges were migrant’s new location. especially apparent Through this method, in the early days of the Disha Foundation Aadhaar enrollment, when there were helps ensure that India’s internal reported delays in the delivery of migrants receives their Aadhaar Aadhaar letters. number.
Approximately 400 million members of Online portals and call centers India’s workforce are internal migrants. Individuals who live away from their Online portals and call centers home village, district, or state for either also provide an important tool for a fixed or unpredictable amount of time individuals waiting to learn their often lack a portable proof of identity, Aadhaar number. The Unique which can be used to access services and Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) benefits in other states. runs its own online portals. Residents Critically, these individuals are often not can log into the portals to check whether eligible to apply for voter identification their Aadhaar number is in the process cards or ration cards in their employing of being generated or if a letter is on the state. way. Delivery Online portals and call centers 32
In addition to tracking the delivery hard-to-reach individuals are informed of Aadhaar letters, residents can of their Aadhaar number, putting them access and download their Aadhaar in a better position to use it to access number through a UIDAI portal. This benefits and services. downloadable letter with a resident’s Aadhaar number is sometimes referred Difficulty in Delivery to as e-Aadhaar. While extensive planning has gone Call centers are also an important source into the delivery of Aadhaar letters, of information on Aadhaar. These call instances of both late delivery and non- centers not only help track the delivery delivery have been reported. These process, they also provide information delivery challenges limit the benefits on the larger Aadhaar enrollment an individual will gain from Aadhaar process. The UIDAI operates a call center enrollment. Although call centers and for Aadhaar-related issues that can be online portals exist, the responsibility to used across India. States also have their follow up on the letter’s delivery rests own call centers for Aadhaar-related with the individual who is waiting to support. receive their Aadhaar number.
For individuals that may not be able Summary to access the portal or call centers on their own, NGOs and enrollment centers Through India Post’s extensive delivery provide assistance. As with other aspects network, many Aadhaar numbers reach of the enrollment process, some NGOs their intended recipients despite a lack have been instrumental in helping of fixed address. NGO involvement marginalized individuals follow up on has also helped to ensure that hard- the delivery of their Aadhaar letter. to-reach individuals are more likely to receive their Aadhaar number. Bangalore-based NGO Parinaam has Online portals and call centers allow frequently helped clients log into the individuals to follow up on the delivery online portal to track their Aadhaar of their Aadhaar letter, and to access letter’s delivery, and to learn their their Aadhaar number online. However, Aadhaar number. We have also heard where challenges delay or prevent reports of individuals without physical delivery, the individual enrolled must cards returning to enrollment centers, follow up to ensure they receive their where enrollment center staff have Aadhaar number. downloaded and printed their Aadhaar numbers. These efforts help ensure that Linkages Introduction 33
CHAPTER 6
Linkages
Proof of identity is a tool that and benefits available to can be used to facilitate access them. to services and benefits. Recognizing this, Aadhaar The ability to create was designed to improve the linkages between Aadhaar reach of services and benefits and other services and through the creation of benefits has facilitated linkages. Linkages are created Aadhaar’s reach by when an individual shares generating widespread their Aadhaar number with demand for enrollment. another service provider. At the same time, Aadhaar’s Through linkages, individuals linkages have been a source of can use Aadhaar to prove controversy, as reports of false their identity to service authentication failures and providers, so that they can data leaks have arisen. access the range of services Linkages Why create linkages? 34
Why create linkages? Through program linkages, money is now transferred directly from From the perspective of individual government coffers to the bank account residents, Aadhaar linkages have been of the beneficiary, reducing the impact designed to facilitate improved access of corruption and helping to ensure to services and benefits. For individuals more money reaches those it is intended with limited or no proof of identity for. prior to Aadhaar enrollment, Aadhaar has provided them the ability to access Aadhaar linkages have also been a variety of government services and designed to assist the government in benefits for the first time. For other delivering more efficient and effective individuals, Aadhaar linkages have services. facilitated faster access to benefits Through the creation and services that of Aadhaar, the they were already From the perspective Government of receiving. of individual India intends to reduce leakage from For example, the residents, Aadhaar government benefit Mahatma Gandhi linkages have been programs. Leakage National Rural designed to facilitate can take a number Employment of forms, including Guarantee Act – improved access the enrollment of more commonly to services and non-existent “ghost” known as NREGA – benefits. beneficiaries and the is a social program double enrollment that provides rural of individuals and households with a households in guaranteed minimum programs. amount of paid work. Through de-duplication of fingerprints In Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, the and iris scans at the time of enrollment, delivery of NREGA wages used to Aadhaar makes both types of leakage take twenty to thirty days to reach more difficult. a household. Government officials in Andhra Pradesh have found that The money that is saved when these since individuals have been able to forms of leakage are eliminated is then link NREGA to their Aadhaar number, made available for the government to those same wages are now delivered in use elsewhere. Aadhaar linkages also three to four days. Linkages have also provide another benefit to government been designed to reduce leakage from service providers: the ability to financial transfers. closely record and monitor the use of Linkages Authentication 35
government social programs. to use two or more of the above listed modes of authentication. The information gathered through Aadhaar can be used by the government In all cases, the authentication to inform decisions about the use of information is submitted to the Central resources and their distribution. Identities Data Repository, and the response will determine whether or Authentication not the information provided correctly matches. Authentication is the process by which an individual provides a combination While many successful authentication of biometric and/or demographic transactions have taken place, there information, along with their Aadhaar have been a number of reported failures number, to confirm their identity. to authenticate. It is not always clear Authentication allows individuals to why an authentication transaction access benefits and services linked fails – it could be due to poor internet to Aadhaar. There are four modes connectivity, an individual’s changing of Aadhaar authentication. The biometric information, improper organization requesting Aadhaar recording of information at the time of authentication can specify which mode enrollment, or something else entirely. or modes they would like individuals to use to verify their identity. Despite these challenges, some states and union territories have managed Demographic authentication allows the authentication process especially an individual to verify their identity well. In Andhra Pradesh, a number of by providing a combination of measures are taken to ensure that the demographic information and their authentication process is operating Aadhaar number. effectively.
One-time pin authentication allows an In the state, government officials individual to have a time-limited PIN work to ensure that adequate internet code sent to the phone number or email connectivity is widely available. To address affiliated with an Aadhaar do this, the government engages with number. The individual must then cellular companies to conduct network supply their pin code and their Aadhaar surveys throughout the state. These number for authentication. Biometric surveys allow the government to authentication requires an individual determine where signal is available, and to provide their Aadhaar number this information is used to determine and either their fingerprints or their the best locations for authentication to iris-scan. Further to this, multi-mode take place. authentication requires an individual Linkages Direct Benefit Transfer 36
To reduce the incidence of authorities. The scope for corruption authentication failure, fusion finger is reduced when intermediaries are technology has also been introduced. by-passed and instead the transfers With this technology, if there is a partial move directly from government coffers match of 50 percent between two to a beneficiary’s account. With DBTs, fingerprints and the data in the Central the Aadhaar number is linked to an Identities Data Repository, the system individual’s bank account or equivalent. will accept the match. Similarly, officials Government payments are then linked in the state have worked to ensure that with Aadhaar numbers, and the iris-authentication is widely available. amounts are transferred swiftly into These alternatives are particularly accounts while simultaneously being important for manual laborers, whose tracked and recorded by the system. fingerprints can become worn down over time. Where authentication Aadhaar linked programs failure still takes place despite these precautions, a biometric update team A number of programs provide Direct will be dispatched to recapture an Benefit Transfers through Aadhaar individual’s biometrics. linkages. Among them are the NREGA rural work guarantee program; liquefied This biometric recapture increases the petroleum gas subsidies, now known as likelihood that an individual will be able PAHAL; Pradhan Mantri Grameen Awaas to successfully authenticate the next Yojana which provides funds to build or time they attempt to do so. repair dwellings; and Sarva Shikshan Abhyan which provides benefits for Direct Benefit Transfers children. Two additional Aadhaar-linked programs are: At present, Aadhaar is used by a number of government programs, Jan Dhan Yojana with related services and distribution In August 2014, the national government occurring primarily at the state levels. launched Jan Dhan Yojana, to help Entitlements are largely provided marginalized individuals access through Direct Benefit Transfers (DBTs). financial services. The program The primary purpose of DBTs is to encourages the use of bank accounts, ensure that transfers between the Indian which facilitate the transfer of government and its citizens, particularly remittances, pensions, and other monetary transfers, are delivered as transactions. Accounts can be opened quickly as possible directly into bank with no balance, and Aadhaar numbers accounts or their equivalents. can be used in place of all otherwise necessary documentation to open a A secondary reason for using DBTs is bank account. All accounts opened to minimize the impact of corruption under Jan Dhan Yojana automatically and fund skimming by politicians or allow individuals to receive Direct Linkages Mandatory Aadhaar 37
Benefit Transfers. of whether Aadhaar can legally be made mandatory for access to benefits and Mid-day Meal services has been taken up with the The Mid-day Meal program provides Supreme Court on several occasions. impoverished children with a meal at school. The aim of the program is The question of whether Aadhaar to encourage parents to send their should be mandatory for access to children to school, instead of putting services has also been contested in them to work. On March 2, 2017, it was Indian media, and the debate is still announced that to continue benefitting ongoing. For those who oppose making from this program, children must Aadhaar mandatory, concerns exist that register their Aadhaar numbers by June this requirement would hurt individuals 30, 2017. who have not enrolled, or those that have difficulty with authentication. For Mandatory Aadhaar those who support making Aadhaar mandatory, there is a belief that proof of The linkage of services and benefits identity ought to be mandatory to access to Aadhaar has generated widespread government services and benefits, and demand for enrollment. In the Unique that Aadhaar is the most effective and Identification Authority of India’s words, appropriate system for proving identity. the “Aadhaar system provides single source online identity verification across Other concerns about Aadhaar the country for the residents.” Identity verification allows individuals to access In addition to reports of authentication a wide range of services and benefits. failure and debate about mandatory However, there has been widely enrollment, there have been other reported uncertainty as to whether concerns raised about Aadhaar. While Aadhaar enrollment is mandatory an exhaustive review of Aadhaar-related for some services and benefits, and concerns is outside the scope of this whether it would become mandatory for report, we’d like to highlight one other others. This confusion about whether Aadhaar-related issue that has been Aadhaar is mandatory, and widespread raised. beliefs that Aadhaar would eventually become mandatory, have contributed to As Aadhaar enrollment and linkages Aadhaar’s high enrollment rate. have become increasingly widespread, data security has been a growing As Aadhaar enrollment has become concern for some. Activists worry that increasingly widespread, a number of access to the UIDAI database is being government programs have made it sold to third-party companies like mandatory to have a linked Aadhaar Skype. There have also been numerous number in order to access a particular reports of data leaks from the databases benefit or service. The Mid-day Meal of service providers, which contain program is one example. The question Aadhaar numbers that are used to Linkages Summary 38
facilitate linkages. Some cybersecurity widespread demand for enrollment, experts have been quoted stating while also igniting debates about that the data security measures are whether Aadhaar enrollment ought inadequate, and that there are many to be mandatory for access to ways in which Aadhaar numbers and services and benefits. other information collected during enrollment can be compromised. With the linkage of various programs and services to Aadhaar, other concerns Summary have also been raised about data security and about individuals being Linkages are supposed to improve wrongfully denied benefits. Efforts to efficiency in service and benefit improve linkages of specific benefits and delivery, and to ensure that Indian services to Aadhaar are ongoing, as are residents have access to the full range debates about the nature of Aadhaar of services and benefits to which they and its relationship to services and are entitled. The linkage of services government benefits in India. and benefits to Aadhaar has created LessonsLinkages learnedIntroductionIntroduction 39
CHAPTER 7
Lessons learned
India is a country that is While Aadhaar enrollment large and diverse – two has achieved remarkable characteristics which could reach, some challenges with pose challenges in the roll out the identification program of a national identification persist. In some parts of India, program. Yet UIDAI succeeded there have been reports of in designing an identification false authentication failure program that has been that can result in individuals capable of enrolling the vast being wrongly denied majority of the population. In government services and between the first enrollment benefits. There have also in 2010 and May 2017, 89.6 been ongoing debates on percent of the population was Aadhaar’s data security, and enrolled for Aadhaar. Swift some individuals question and widespread Aadhaar whether Aadhaar should be enrollment was accomplished made mandatory for access to by empowering other services and benefits. organizations – including government agencies, private Recognizing these businesses, and NGOs – to challenges, Aadhaar participate in enrollment, nonetheless offers lessons to and through a commitment other countries struggling to ensuring enrollment is to provide proof of identity accessible for hard to reach to their residents. populations. Lessons learned What lessons can be learned from Aadhaar enrollment in India? 40
The importance of proof of identity involvement has been necessary to is recognized in the 2015 Sustainable ensure that remote and marginalized Development Goals, which call for residents also benefit from Aadhaar. countries to “provide proof of legal identity for all” by 2030. To meet this 2. Inclusion and accessibility target, it is necessary to ensure that identification programs reach and Aadhaar was designed to be an enroll the extreme poor and other identification system that would benefit marginalized groups. India’s poor and marginalized.
The case of Aadhaar shows us that it To encourage India’s poor and is possible to create proof of identity marginalized to enroll, the UIDAI for those in rural and remote areas, worked to reduce a number of barriers individuals who live in informal to enrollment. Two features of the housing, those who are homeless, enrollment process are particularly and internal migrants, among others. noteworthy. Recognizing the difficulty Through Aadhaar, the Unique that many marginalized individuals face Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) when asked to provide Proof of Identity and its partners have given many hard- (POI) and Proof of Address (POA), to-reach individuals access to a powerful the UIDAI developed the introducer tool for inclusion. system and a broad list of acceptable POIs and POAs. Together, these ensure What lessons can be learned from that individuals without adequate Aadhaar enrollment in India? identification are not excluded from enrollment. 1. Incentives for participation and attention to hard-to-reach groups Further, the presence of a large number of enrollment centers affords many Aadhaar enrollment operates through residents the ability to choose where a network of government agencies and to enroll, helping to minimize the private businesses referred to as the opportunity cost of enrollment and “enrollment ecosystem”. guarding against discrimination by service providers. The structure of the ecosystem – with competing organizations and 3. Active and targeted reach compensation tied to new enrollments – has encouraged large-scale, rapid, To bring enrollment to hard-to-reach and effective efforts to enroll residents. residents, the UIDAI enlisted and However, enrolling certain hard-to- empowered local partners to conduct reach individuals has proven time active reach. Local partners convey to consuming and expensive. Where the residents the value of enrollment, and cost of enrolling individuals outweighs also facilitated or directly conducted the compensation provided, government enrollments. Through this approach, Lessons learned What lessons can be learned from Aadhaar enrollment in India? 41
local partners were able to target their can follow up on the delivery of their efforts to the specific communities they Aadhaar card and obtain their Aadhaar work in. number.
4. Delivery 5. Linkages
The UIDAI has delivered Aadhaar At its core, Aadhaar aims to provide cards to many of India’s residents Indian residents with access to the by leveraging India Post’s extensive variety of services and benefits. The network, which is capable of reaching ability to access services and benefits individuals without a fixed address. through Aadhaar has been an important NGOs have also made important driver of demand for enrollment. contributions to the delivery process, However, these linkages have also by facilitating Aadhaar card delivery ignited debates about whether Aadhaar for migrants, individuals who are enrollment ought to be mandatory for homeless, and others who have tentative access to services and benefits. Linkages addresses. However, not all cards are have also raised concerns about data successfully delivered. To address this, security and about individuals being online portals and call centers serve as wrongfully denied benefits. channels through which an individual Aadhaar - providing proof of identity to one billion Our team 42
OUR TEAM
Joseph Wong
Joseph Wong is the Ralph and Roz Halbert Professor of Innovation at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto. He is also a Professor in the Department of Political Science, where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Democracy, Health and Development.
Kirstyn Koswin Shruti Sardesai
Kirstyn Koswin is the Research Officer Shruti Sardesai is a recent graduate for the Reach Project. She holds a Master from the Munk School of Global Affairs, of Global Affairs from the Munk School pursuing a career in humanitarian of Global Affairs at the University of aid and policy impact. She is Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) invested in gender justice, whether from McGill University. She has led through research, activism, or in research teams in India, Jordan, and the humanitarian field. Outside her Rwanda. Kirstyn’s research examines career, she works with stray animals the delivery of social services to and volunteers with local non-profit marginalized populations. organizations. Aadhaar - providing proof of identity to one billion Our team 43
Cheryl Young Nikhil Pandey
Cheryl Young is a fourth year medical Nikhil Pandey completed his Hon student at the University of Toronto. B.A in Economics and International She holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences Relations. Nikhil is now pursuing a Juris (Honours) at McMaster University Doctorate at the Allard School of Law with a specialisation in Global Health. at the University of British Columbia. She is interested in ways that public Apart from his involvement in the Reach health systems at home and abroad can Project, Nikhil is interested in research improve on the social determinants surrounding sustainable development, of health in order to better serve corporate regulation, and financial marginalised populations. inclusion.
Carol Drumm
Carol Drumm completed her Hon B.A. in Ethics, Society & Law, Political Science and Urban Studies. In addition to her work with the Reach Project, Carol’s interests include conceptualizing policy solutions that promote sustainable cities and learning about the future of Indigenous governance in Canada.
Aadhaar - providing proof of identity to one billion About us 44
The Reach Project is to create a unique, world-leading centre of teaching, research and public It has been said that development is engagement that builds the new field about delivery: the will and ability of global affairs from Canada. We are to deliver interventions to very poor the home of students from all over the and vulnerable people in order to help globe, world-renowned researchers, improve their lives. The development and more than 40 academic centres, “space” is filled with great ideas and labs and programs. From cyber-security innovative solutions, from technological and innovation policy to those seeking interventions to new policy initiatives. justice in a world of conflict, urban But the effects of these potentially game- development and sustainability, the changing ideas are severely mitigated Munk School is projecting Canada’s if they do not actually get to the people voice onto the world stage and they are intended to benefit. We think expanding the boundaries of global of this challenge in terms of “reach.” affairs. Solutions can only solve problems if they reach those who need them most. The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth The Reach Project focuses on the delivery of development interventions The Mastercard Center for Inclusive to those who need them most and who Growth advances sustainable and are hardest to reach. We are a research equitable economic growth and initiative supported by a partnership financial inclusion around the world. between the Munk School of Global Established as an independent Affairs at the University of Toronto and subsidiary in 2014, we leverage the the Mastercard Center for Inclusive company’s core assets to drive action Growth. The Reach Project is led by on inclusive growth through: research Professor Joseph Wong, along with and insights, data philanthropy, global other faculty members from various programs and knowledge-sharing. disciplines at the University. The Reach Through our partnership with the Project team is composed of researchers Reach Project and the Munk School of from across the University of Toronto. Global Affairs, the Center is committed Together, we examine the delivery of to advancing actionable insights on social services to those who are hardest programs and policies that successfully to reach in countries around the world. reach hard to reach low-income populations to help drive inclusive The Munk School of Global Affairs growth in developing countries.
The Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto unites people who are passionate to address the problems of a fast-changing world. Our aspiration - The Reach Project reachprojectuoft.com twitter.com/reachprojectUT facebook.com/reachprojectUT instagram.com/reachproject_uoft