New Delhi: Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister of Electronics & Information Technology, inaugurated today a 3-day workshop titled ‘Aadhaar 2.0- Ushering the Next Era of Digital Identity and Smart Governance’ commencing from 23rd November, 2021 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Several dignitaries including Ajay Sawhney, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), and Dr. Saurabh Garg, CEO, UIDAI graced the occasion with active participation from Central and State Ministries.
On the occasion, Ashwini Vaishnaw said that aadhaar has made a fundamental difference in lives of millions of people especially those who are at the bottom of pyramid. It has made a significant difference the way government programs are administered. Adding further to this, Shri Vaishnaw mentioned about the 3 thoughts and ideas that can be deliberated upon. He raised the question about raising the question of having international standards for identification given in the context of globe which is increasingly getting digitalized.
Second thought was to make the Aadhaar services more accessible by building technologies and hardware systems around it. Talking about the privacy and legal framework with regards to Aadhaar, the Minister said that today legal framework is settled with Aadhaar Act, Supreme Court judgement and will be further strengthened by Data Privacy Bill.
Addressing on the occasion, Shri Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & IT, said that Aadhaar has given identity to large number of people who did not any identity earlier. Aadhaar has shown that a digital identity can be used in several ways than the physical identity can be used. It has been used in range of services and has helped in bringing financial inclusion, broadband and telecom services, direct benefit transfers to the bank account of citizens in a transparent mamanne
In a virtual message played during the inaugural event, Shri Nandan Nilekani, Former Chairman, UIDAI, shared his ideas and message on Aadhaar related aspects. Talking from futuristic perspective, Shri Nilekani highlighted 3 ideas that can be discussed. These includes role of Aadhaar in transformation of electrical grid system that requires discoms to be healthy, for which electricity subsidies to go directly go into the bank accounts of beneficiaries; direct benefit transfers to the forest residents-for preserving biodiversity and forests; and portability of social security systems.
Dr. Saurabh Garg, CEO, UIDAI informed that The Aadhaar 2.0 Workshop is an introspection-cum-exploratory endeavor by UIDAI to analyze the reach of Digital Identity in major reforms and schemes launched by the Government. It also aims to look into various futuristic aspects of Digital Identity to achieve universal inclusion, both social as well as financial.
The 3-days event shall provide an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas & information, promote insightful debates and share experiences about developments and initiatives around the world around Digital Identity among various stakeholders.
