Sri Vijaya Puram, March 20: A state-level workshop on maximizing the impact of Aadhaar was held today in the presence of Shri Bhuvnesh Kumar, CEO of Unique Identification Authority of India, and chaired by Dr. Chandra Bhushan Kumar, Chief Secretary, A&N Administration.
In his keynote address, Shri Bhuvnesh Kumar outlined the evolution of Aadhaar and its future roadmap. He elaborated on the two major divisions, Enrollment & Update and Authentication & Verification and highlighted recent advancements in both areas. He emphasized how Aadhaar has enabled innovative use cases that were not envisioned at its inception, citing the example of seamless bank account opening without the need to visit a branch.
In his address, The Chief Secretary, A&N Administration discussed the unique challenges faced by the islands, particularly in reaching remote tribal populations. He expressed confidence that, despite connectivity issues in certain areas, the Administration would achieve full coverage in child enrollment and saturation of the 0–5 age group. He also appreciated the flexible solutions provided by UIDAI for connectivity-constrained regions.
Earlier, the event commenced with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp, followed by a welcome address delivered by Smt. P Sangeetha, Deputy Director General, Regional Office Hyderabad.
The inaugural session concluded with the presentation of awards to the Best Performing Operators and Supervisors in the Union Territory.
The workshop then proceeded with two technical sessions:
•Aadhaar Usage Highlights by Shri Vivek Chandra Verma, Deputy Director General, Aadhaar Usage Division. Lt. Col. Praveen Chaudhary also conducted a live demonstration of Aadhaar verification.
•Use of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes by Shri Saurabh K Tiwari, Additional Secretary, DBT Mission, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India.
Each session was followed by interactive question-and-answer segments, contributing to engaging and lively discussions.
The event concluded with a meeting of the Unique Identification Implementation Committee (UIDIC), chaired by the Chief Secretary, A&N Administration. During the meeting, Smt. P Sangeetha presented key agenda points and reviewed the Union Territory’s performance across various parameters.
The workshop formally ended with a vote of thanks delivered by Shri Debaraj Rath, Director, UIDAI, State Office Odisha.