E-Paper
Govt urges Aadhaar biometric updates for children at 5 and 15
Under Aadhaar rules, children must undergo Mandatory Biometric Updates (MBU) once at the age of five and again at 15, as their features change with age
Schools across the country have been asked by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to ensure timely Aadhaar biometric updates for children aged five and 15. UIDAI chief Bhuvnesh Kumar has written to chief secretaries of all states and union territories, urging them to organise special camps in schools to clear the backlog, the Ministry of Electronics & IT said in a press release.
Under Aadhaar rules, children must undergo Mandatory Biometric Updates (MBU) once at the age of five and again at 15, as their features change with age. This includes their biometrics like photograph, fingerprints, and iris scan. When an Aadhaar number holder who has attained the age of five or 15 years fails to update his/her biometric information within two years of attaining such age, their Aadhaar number shall be deactivated. However, the facility of biometric information update shall be available free of cost to them till attaining the age of 7 or 17 years, respectively.
“The biometric done between the ages of 5 and 7 is called MBU 1. This is free of cost. In case anyone wants to get it updated after the age of 7, then it is chargeable at ₹100. From September 1 onward, we are increasing the charges to ₹120. The biometric update done between the ages of 15 and 17 is called MBU 2. This is also free of cost. After the age of 17, it becomes chargeable,” CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar told HT. Kumar added that updated government records also help improve the overall accuracy of citizens’ data.
The government has warned that delays often cause problems when students register for exams like NEET, JEE, or CUET, or while accessing government schemes and scholarships. Early updates, they said, prevent last-minute rushes and anxieties for parents and students.
To speed up the process, UIDAI has partnered with the Ministry of Education to track the status of pending updates through the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) platform. The system, which already records nationwide data on schools, students, and teachers, will now give schools visibility on which students still need updates. Around 17 crore Aadhaar numbers currently require MBU.
Explaining the new approach, Kumar said in his letter, “It was thought that a camp approach through the schools could help in completing the pending MBUs. The main question was how the schools would know which students have not done the biometric updates. The technology teams of UIDAI and Department of School Education and Literacy, Govt of India have worked together to successfully implement a solution through the UDISE+ application. Now all the schools can have the visibility of the pending MBUs.”
UIDAI’s north-east office in Guwahati also issued an appeal on X to parents and guardians, urging them to complete the updates. “Aadhaar with updated biometric facilitates seamless usage of Aadhaar in availing services such as school admissions, registering for entrance examinations, availing benefits of scholarships etc.,” said the office.
UIDAI did not immediately respond to HT’s request for comment.
