New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS) The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has completed more than 2 crore (20 million) mandatory biometric updates (MBUs) for schoolchildren nationwide under a special campaign aimed at ensuring Aadhaar records remain updated, an official statement said on Tuesday.
According to the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY), the initiative has been supported by UIDAI’s integration with the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+), enabling schools and authorities to track the biometric update status of students.
Launched in September 2025, the drive has so far covered more than 1.56 lakh schools across the country, it added.
Moreover, UIDAI has brought Aadhaar biometric update services directly to students through dedicated school-level camps and coordinated efforts with state and Union Territory education departments, making the process more accessible.
Under Aadhaar enrolment rules, children below the age of five are enrolled using demographic details and photographs, while fingerprints and iris scans are not collected because biometric features are still developing.
As a result, biometric updates become mandatory at later stages to ensure Aadhaar records remain accurate and functional for authentication purposes, the government said.
However, MBU required when a child reaches the age of five years and again at 15 years.
Timely completion of these updates helps facilitate smoother Aadhaar authentication as children advance through school and higher education and access services where Aadhaar verification may be required, according to the government.
To encourage greater participation, UIDAI waived charges for MBU services for children in the 7–15 years age group from October 1, 2025 for a period of one year.
Biometric updates for children aged 5–7 years and 15-17 years continue to be provided free of cost. As a result, MBU services are currently free for all children between the ages of 5 and 17 years until September 30, 2026, the government said.
It further noted that failure to complete mandatory biometric updates could lead to authentication-related difficulties while accessing benefits under government schemes or registering for competitive and university entrance examinations such as NEET, JEE and CUET.
Additionally, the government urged parents and guardians to ensure that children complete their mandatory biometric updates within the prescribed timelines to avoid disruptions in Aadhaar-based services.
–IANS
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