Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena today launched the face authentication feature in the Public Distribution System (PDS), marking a significant step towards enhancing transparency and efficiency in welfare delivery. The launch was held during a review meeting on Aadhaar progress with departmental heads and officials from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
Deputy Director General of UIDAI, Commodore (IN) Dhiraj Sarin, along with other senior officials, was present on the occasion.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary emphasized the urgent need for achieving 100% Aadhaar saturation across the state. Departments such as Digital Technology & Governance (DDT&G), India Post, and School Education were instructed to reactivate all Aadhaar enrollment kits and ensure optimal use of resources.
Highlighting the state’s progress, officials informed that Himachal Pradesh leads the country in Aadhaar enrollment of children under five years of age, with a 56% coverage rate compared to the national average of 39%. In the last three months, the state has reduced the pendency in mandatory biometric updates from 5.5 lakh to 4.75 lakh.
The Department of Digital Technology & Governance, in partnership with the Education Department, has been conducting enrollment camps in schools. The Chief Secretary further directed officials to include private schools in the drive to reduce delays in biometric updates for children aged 5 and 15 years.
To further boost early-age Aadhaar coverage, he instructed deployment of Aadhaar kits at immunization centers, enabling enrollment of children aged 0–5 years. The Health Department, DDT&G, and India Post Payment Bank (IPPB) will coordinate this initiative.
DDG Dhiraj Sarin also highlighted the potential of Aadhaar-based authentication for a wider range of services. He pointed out recent amendments under the Aadhaar SWIK (Social, Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) framework, which now allow private sector entities such as hotels, hospitals, and travel agencies to use Aadhaar authentication with due approval from the concerned departments.
The Chief Secretary concluded by directing all departments to ensure Aadhaar-based authentication for government services and digitization of documents used for Aadhaar updates, aiming for more secure and streamlined governance.
