Unconfirmed newspaper reports claim that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) might be merged with India’s National Poplulation Register (NPR). The NPR is a comprehensive identity database used for India’s census which is maintained by the Home Ministry, while the UIDAI maintains Aadhaar, the world’s largest universal Civil ID program.
Aadhaar is the biometric database used to provide social services and reduce welfare fraud. To date, Aadhaar has issued 630 million Aadhaar numbers, and has enrolled approximately 850 million people.
The database is actively used for monitor school attendance, issue natural gas subsidies to India’s rural poor, and to send wages directly to people’s bank accounts. The system, a landmark legacy project of India’s previous Congress Party government, also provides identification to people who do not have birth certificates.