The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Sunday, May 3, denied reports claiming that Aadhaar cards will soon get reducted to a more simpler format with just a photograph and QR code. In an official statement, the ministry said that there was no such proposal under consideration and termed the claims misleading.
It stated that news reports and social media posts suggesting a change in Aadhaar card’s format are incorrect.
“There are intermittent news reports and social media posts explaining how Aadhaar’s look may change by the end of this year to just a photo and a QR code, alone. This is not correct. There is no plan for any such changes,” read the official statement.
“Such news reports and social media posts are creating unwanted confusion in the minds of the people,” it added.
Further, the ministry advised people to follow only official communication from the Unique Identification Authority of India via its verified channels, besides the press releases issued through PIB. It has urged urged media outlets not to amplify unverified information.
“People in general are advised to ignore such reports and social media posts and refer to official communication from UIDAI through its official social media handles and press releases issued through PIB. Media is also advised not to encourage such information,” the ministry stated.
This comes after several social media posts claimed that Aadhaar card could soon undergo a major redesign. But the central government has reiterated that no such decision has been taken and has advised people to ignore misleading posts.
Notably, Aadhaar currently has nearly 134 crore users and facilitated more than 17,000 crore authentication transactions so far. It is maintained by the Unique Identification Authority of India. The ecosystem plays a crucial role in enabling identity verification for a wide range of services.