KOCHI – A strange thing is happening in Kerala: the number of Aadhaar cards is much more than the total population of the state.
An official reply from the Aadhaar department (UIDAI) shows that:
Total population: 141,22,25,700
Aadhaar cards issued: 142,95,78,647
Difference: 1,73,52,947
Why is this happening?
A social worker from Kochi, Raju Vazhakala, said this is a big problem with data records.
The main reason is that there is no good system to quickly cancel the Aadhaar card of a person who has died.
This means the card remains active and can be used for wrong things (misuse or fraud) by others.
What is the Government Doing?
The UIDAI says they are trying to fix this.
They are taking death records from state governments to deactivate the Aadhaar of dead people.
The UIDAI has also started a new service on the myAadhaar website where family members can report a death after getting the death certificate. They are asking all people to use this service.
Causes of Disparity
- Lack of Deactivation Mechanism: The primary reason for the high count is the absence of a systematic and prompt mechanism to cancel or deactivate the Aadhaar numbers of deceased individuals.
- Data Hygiene Issue: This anomaly is described as a “significant issue with data hygiene” within the unique identification system.
- Potential Misuse: The gap leaves Aadhaar documents belonging to the deceased vulnerable to potential misuse and fraud.
Impact on Other Regions
The issue is not unique to Kerala. The Aadhaar count exceeds the population across the entire country, and the anomaly is also reflected in several major states, including:
- Andhra Pradesh
- Karnataka
- Maharashtra
- Punjab
- Rajasthan
- Tamil Nadu
- Telangana
- Tripura
- Uttarakhand
- West Bengal
UIDAI Corrective Measures
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is taking several steps to improve data accuracy and prevent identity fraud:
- Collaboration with RGI: UIDAI is working with the Registrar General of India (RGI) to access death registration data via the Civil Registration System (CRS).
- Progress: Approximately 1.55 crore death records have been provided by 24 states/UTs. Following validation, over 1.17 crore Aadhaar numbers have been successfully deactivated.
- ‘Reporting of Death’ Portal: A new service was launched on the myAadhaar portal (June 9, 2025) that allows family members to report a death using the deceased’s Aadhaar and Death Registration Number for subsequent validation and deactivation.
- Future Measures: UIDAI is also exploring avenues to source death records from banks and is collaborating with state governments to verify the status of centenarians (individuals aged 100 or more).
With input from TNIE
For more details: Navamalayalam.com
