The Unique Identification Authority of India announced that the number of Aadhaar numbers that are connected to bank accounts has reached 100 million, which enables these account holders to digitally receive subsidies and benefits from the government, according to a report by The Economic Times.
 
Previously reported, India’s new government began examining new methods of expanding Aadhaar in September, including issuing bank accounts to all Indian households. As the largest biometric database in the world, the Aadhaar identity platform serves a range of users including LPG consumers, MNREGA workers, PDS, remittance and scholarship beneficiaries.
 
“A major milestone in government’s Digital India mission has been crossed with 100 million Aadhaar numbers having been linked to bank accounts of Aadhaar holders, enabling these individuals to digitally receive government welfare subsidies and other payments directly into their bank accounts,” according to a UIDAI statement. Linking an Aadhaar number to a bank account simplifies the governmental process of identifying legitimate beneficiaries and transfer welfare payments and subsidies to their bank accounts, said the UIDAI.