Aadhaar Earthquake: Over 1 Crore IDs Deleted—Are You Still Real or Just a Number?
Aadhaar Earthquake: Over 1 Crore IDs Deleted—Are You Still Real or Just a Number?
UIDAI is deactivating Aadhaar numbers for 1.55 crore deceased individuals. Families can report deaths online through a new portal. Learn how this helps prevent identity theft.
After confirming 1.55 crore death records, UIDAI is currently deactivating the Aadhaar numbers of deceased people. Families can report deaths for Aadhaar deactivation through a new portal. UIDAI has started deactivating deceased people's Aadhaar numbers in order to maintain the integrity of the Aadhaar database and stop identity theft. Families can now use a new service to report these deaths online.
UIDAI Acts to Prevent Aadhaar Misuse After Death
A nationwide campaign to purge inactive Aadhaar numbers associated with deceased people has been started by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). As part of this massive data cleansing effort, more than 1.17 crore Aadhaar numbers have been deactivated thus far after death records were verified.
The action is intended to prevent fraud in the Aadhaar ecosystem, particularly when the identity of the deceased person may be misused.
Families Can Report Deaths on myAadhaar
The 'Report Death of Family Member' feature was introduced by UIDAI on the myAadhaar portal on June 9, 2025. As of right now, it is operational in all 24 states and union territories that are a part of the Civil Registration System (CRS).
A family member must log in and enter the deceased's Aadhaar number, Death Registration Number, and other basic information in order to use the service. After submission, the Aadhaar number is validated by UIDAI before being deactivated. There is ongoing integration with the other States and UTs.
UIDAI, States & Registrar General Join Hands
To gather genuine death records, UIDAI has teamed up with the Registrar General of India (RGI). Approximately 1.55 crore death records have been shared by RGI thus far, and 1.17 crore Aadhaar numbers have been deactivated following validation.
The deactivation process is still in progress, and UIDAI is also collaborating with non-CRS States and UTs, from which 6.7 lakh death records have been obtained.
UIDAI is working with State Governments to cross-check Aadhaar holders who are 100 years of age or older in yet another significant step. In order to help UIDAI more thoroughly clean the database, states will confirm whether these people are still alive.
To Conclude
The mass deactivation of more than 1 crore ghost IDs by Aadhaar is a good step since it addresses one of the most obvious flaws in India's identity architecture. The details, however, are where the pain lies: the extremely slow pace and the lingering policy and technical gaps. Whether your Aadhaar is actively managed by the system, alive, accurate, and secure, determines whether you are still real or just a number.
This is only the beginning of the cleanup. The real test is yet to come. Can UIDAI reestablish trust and scale reform? Are states able to plug the data pipeline? Or will identities be handled like ghosts by the system long after people have passed away?
Let's see how it goes on....
