#aadhaar

#aadhaar

It is often difficult for people in India to remember life before Aadhaar. The digital biometric ID, allegedly available for every Indian citizen, was only introduced 15 years ago but its presence in daily life is ubiquitous. Indians now need an Aadhaar number to buy a house, get a job, open a bank account, pay their tax, receive benefits, buy a car, get a sim card, book priority train tickets and admit children into school.

Keir Starmer is to examine India's digital ID system on his visit to Mumbai as a potential model for the UK, praising the system as a massive success. Speaking on his two-day trip to Mumbai, where he met an expert on India's digital ID system, Starmer defended the introduction of a similar measure in the UK, saying he believed the rollout of a voluntary system could be expanded to school applications, mortgages and driving licences.