A one-day state-level workshop titled “Maximizing the Benefits of Aadhaar” was organized today at the New Circuit House Convention Hall in Raipur, under the leadership of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Regional Office, Hyderabad. The event aimed to promote wider and more effective use of Aadhaar in welfare schemes and enhance the vision of transparent and digital governance in Chhattisgarh.
Organized under the guidance of Chief Secretary Shri Amitabh Jain, the workshop witnessed enthusiastic participation from senior state officials, Aadhaar operators, and experts from UIDAI headquarters and regional offices.
Aadhaar Becoming the Backbone of Governance and Digital India
Inaugurating the workshop, UIDAI CEO Shri Bhuvnesh Kumar emphasized Chhattisgarh’s rapid strides in IT infrastructure. He highlighted that over 1.4 billion Aadhaar numbers have been issued across India, enabling direct benefit transfers to citizens. He announced that UIDAI is developing a new online software to simplify the Aadhaar enrolment and update process by leveraging innovation.
Kumar explained how Aadhaar is being integrated with key services such as birth certificates, PAN cards, passports, MGNREGA, and PDS to increase reliability and ensure seamless service delivery. “Aadhaar has become the most powerful tool of progress for the common man,” he said.
Chhattisgarh Strengthens Welfare Delivery Through Aadhaar
Principal Secretary of Electronics and IT Department, Smt. Niharika Barik Singh, said that Aadhaar is driving good governance and has become India’s most transformative digital identity platform. She outlined the Chhattisgarh government’s successful integration of Aadhaar with schemes such as the Public Distribution System, pension schemes, MGNREGA wage disbursement, and DBT portals.
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She reaffirmed the state’s commitment to inclusive, transparent, and accountable governance, and emphasized that Aadhaar’s role in platforms like e-District, Lok Seva Guarantee, and DBT portals is being further strengthened.
Experts Showcase Innovations and Best Practices
UIDAI Hyderabad Deputy Director General Smt. P. Sangeeta remarked that Aadhaar has evolved into the backbone of digital India, beyond just being a 12-digit number. She discussed the regular policy updates and collaboration with stakeholders.
DDGs from UIDAI HQ, Shri Vivek Chandra Verma and Shri Vinod Kumar Singh, delivered detailed sessions on benefit distribution, authentication, and Aadhaar Enabled Payment Systems (AEPS) under the Aadhaar Act 2016.
Colonel Nikhil Sinha, Director at UIDAI HQ, presented updates on the Aadhaar enrolment and update ecosystem, while Lt. Colonel Sanjeev Yadav provided a comparative analysis of Aadhaar authentication data across Indian states, including Chhattisgarh.
Land and Agriculture Integration Highlighted
Revenue Commissioner of Bengaluru, Shri Sunil Kumar Pommala, shared best practices from Karnataka, particularly on the use of Aadhaar in land management systems and agriculture schemes, demonstrating improved governance and reduced fraud.
CEO of CHiPS, Shri Prabhat Malik, emphasized Aadhaar authentication as a key tool to remove ineligible beneficiaries and ensure that schemes reach the truly deserving.
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Lt. Colonel Sharat Nambiar, Director at UIDAI Hyderabad, also addressed the workshop.
Recognizing Operators and Solving Stakeholder Queries
As part of the event, 14 Aadhaar operators appointed by CHiPS were honored for their exceptional accuracy in enrolment and updates over the past six months.
Participants from across districts raised several queries regarding Aadhaar implementation, which were addressed by UIDAI experts during an interactive session.
Among key officials present were Commerce and Industries Secretary Shri Rajat Kumar, Revenue Secretary Avinash Champawat, PWD Secretary Dr. Kamalpreet Singh, and other senior officials from multiple departments across the state.
