For cleaning up electoral roll, the right Aadhaar, Pg15

Key Highlights:

• The Election Commission of India (ECI) is exploring the use of Aadhaar to clean up electoral rolls by removing duplicates and ensuring accuracy.
• Aadhaar, a biometrically verified identity, can help verify the uniqueness and current status of voters, addressing challenges posed by migration and urbanization.
• The Supreme Court has validated Aadhaar as a valid identity document for updating electoral rolls, distinct from proof of citizenship.
• Linking Aadhaar with Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) can help detect duplicate entries without storing Aadhaar numbers, using anonymized reference keys.

Detailed Insights:

• Clean electoral rolls are crucial for the legitimacy of a democracy, ensuring every eligible citizen is listed only once in the correct location.
• Aadhaar, along with digital infrastructure like mobile phones and DigiLocker, can help the state verify the identity and uniqueness of individuals in the system.
• The CoWIN platform demonstrates how Aadhaar can track vaccinations for a billion people, creating a secure, digital "single source of truth."
• Aadhaar authentication, including face-based authentication, can help verify deceased voters and allow new 18-year-olds to register digitally.
• Cross-checking electoral addresses against Aadhaar addresses can algorithmically flag anomalies, allowing booth-level officers to focus on a smaller list of suspect entries.
• Implementing Aadhaar for electoral roll maintenance can transform roll revision into a continuous, low-friction process, ensuring the accuracy of the voter list.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Aadhaar: A 12-digit individual identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
• Electoral Roll: A list of persons eligible to vote in an election, maintained by the Election Commission of India.
• EPIC (Electoral Photo Identity Card): An identification card issued to registered voters by the Election Commission of India.