Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has come out with a new mobile app named mAadhaar. By installing this in smartphones people would no longer need to take their Aadhaar cards with them in their wallets. People who install this app on their phone would have every necessary demographic detail that is there in their Aadhaar cards in their smartphone itself. This would include information such as name, gender, date of birth, and address along with the photograph of the person who is using said app. The photograph would be the one that is already there in their Aadhaar card.
Progress of app development
As of now the app is available only to Android users. The app is presently at beta stage. This means that people may not get all the services right now – they will be once the app is updated. Users would be able to download it from Google Play. The app would be available with a biometric lock and unlock feature that would help people to make sure that their personal data is secure. Once the lock system is enabled by a user the app would remain locked till the user unlocks it. This would however be a temporary situation.
Disabling the system
The user can also disable the system if he wishes to. The app also comes with a TOTP generation system. TOTP means time-based one-time password. They will be able to use this in place of OTP based on SMS (short message service). Users will also be allowed to update their profiles on these apps but for this they would have to send a request. Only when the request is completed successfully would they be able to make the necessary changes that they wish to. Users need to have a registered mobile number in order to use this app.
The case with unregistered mobile numbers
In case the mobile number of a user is not registered he would need to visit a Mobile Update End Point or Aadhaar Enrollment Centre closest to him. The app also comes with additional features such as eKYC (electronic know your customer) data, which is password protected and a QR (quick response) code. The government has also made it mandatory from July 1 to link PAN (permanent account number) and Aadhaar card in order to file income tax returns (ITRs). This would help them get a new PAN as well. UIDAI issues Aadhaar for the residents of India and PAN is provided by the Income Tax Department. It is an alphanumeric number that contains 10 digits and can be allotted to individuals, firms, and just about any other entity. In the last few months the department has employed several platforms in order to make sure that assessees link their Aadhaar with PAN. It is expected that this would benefit people greatly since they would be able to carry their Aadhaar card with them all the time and there would be no threat of loss as such. This would be specially beneficial to people who travel a lot and carry their identity related documents with them.
