Delhi to roll out Aadhaar Data Vault system

The Delhi Government has directed its departments to implement the Aadhaar Data Vault (ADV) system to enhance the security of personal data of various schemes’ beneficiaries.

The ADV is a dedicated storage where agencies collecting Aadhaar numbers store the data in an encrypted form. The Government has also directed 100 per cent Aadhaar seeding (linking of the 12-digit number with identification documents) of beneficiaries for effective strengthening of the direct benefit transfers, they said.

Planning Department has found that the percentage of Aadhaar-seeded beneficiaries in various financial assistance schemes is below 100 per cent. Social Welfare Department has directed district social welfare officers to ensure that Aadhaar numbers of all beneficiaries are linked with their respective bank accounts so as to achieve 100 per cent Aadhaar-based payment, officials said.

Aadhaar is a verifiable 12-digit exclusive identification number issued by UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) on behalf of the Government of India to the residents of India at no cost.

The number serves as proof of identity and address, anywhere in India.  Information Technology Department has asked all the departments that store Aadhaar numbers of people for various purposes to implement the ADV system in compliance with UIDAI guidelines.

Aadhaar has become the primary identity document used by banks, telecom service providers and government departments, among others, for delivering various services and benefits. As a result, millions of Aadhaar numbers are stored by different entities, making secure storage a key requirement.

The IT department, in coordination with Delhi NIC, has already implemented an ADV system for the e-District portal to safeguard Aadhaar information stored in its database. The departments have been asked to either set up their own vault through an authorised agency, or utilise the data vault service provided by the IT department through Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).

The IT department has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with C-DAC to facilitate the ADV service. The departments opting to use the centralised ADV will be required to sign a formal agreement with the IT Department.

The responsibility for any lapse in storing or retrieving Aadhaar numbers through the system will rest with the user department concerned, said a circular issued by the IT department.

It further notes that Aadhaar data will be maintained in a common repository managed by the IT department, and participating departments will not have the option to delete Aadhaar numbers stored in the vault.