Laminating Aadhaar card may make it invalid, says UIDAI top official

CHENNAI: Plastic Aadhaar cards issued by private agencies cannot be taken as valid proof of identity, said a top UIDAI official.

"Many private agencies sell these plastic and laminated cards for Rs 25 or Rs 30. There is no need for buying such cards," said Gajare D M, assistant director general, UIDAI.

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"The Aadhaar card issued by us comes pre-laminated. Aadhaar card issued by us or downloaded Aadhaar card printed on ordinary paper is perfectly valid for all uses. If a person has a paper Aadhaar card, there is absolutely no need to get a laminated or plastic Aadhaar card," said Gajare.

"With last census data as the base, the projected population as of 2017 is 132 crore for the entire country. Of this population, we have generated Aadhaar cards for 117 crore individuals, who are above the age of 18 years. India has seen 99% enrollment in Aadhaar from adults," said Gajare.

Gajare said, "Aadhaar penetration in Tamil Nadu across all age categories, including children between the ages of 5 years and above at 94% at 7.12 crore (or 7,12,24,403). For the 18 years and above category; i.e., only adults the penetration is on a par with the national average at 99%."

When it came to toddlers, UIDAI said Tamil Nadu's projected population for 0-5 years was 55 lakh (or 55,49,847) of which Aadhaar cards have been generated for 47% or 26 lakh children (or 26,15,668).