Aadhaar: A gamechanger championed by Manmohan Singh and Nandan Nilekani

The Aadhaar project, India’s groundbreaking biometric identity program, stands as a testament to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Nandan Nilekani, the chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Launched under Singh’s leadership in 2009, Aadhaar has revolutionized the delivery of welfare services, impacting billions of lives across the country.

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Nilekani, who joined UIDAI after leaving Infosys, spearheaded the development of Aadhaar as a multipurpose identity system to streamline welfare distribution. In April 2017, over 1.14 billion Indians had received their unique Aadhaar number, enabling better targeting of schemes like pensions, MNREGA payments, and public distribution systems. World Bank Chief Economist Paul Romer called Aadhaar “the most sophisticated ID programme in the world.”

Marking the second anniversary of Aadhaar, Dr. Singh launched the Aadhaar Enabled Service Delivery program on October 20 in Dudu, Rajasthan. This initiative linked Aadhaar to government databases, ensuring accurate identification of beneficiaries and reducing leakages in welfare delivery.

Acknowledging Singh’s leadership, Nilekani remarked, “I thank Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi for their guidance and unstinted support for the Aadhaar project.”

R.S. Sharma, then Director General of UIDAI, noted, “Aadhaar is an online identity platform… dramatically improving the administration of social sector schemes.”

Aadhaar remains a landmark achievement in Singh’s tenure, transforming welfare delivery for a billion-plus nation.