Odisha Leverages Aadhaar to Strengthen Welfare Delivery, Chief Secretary Stresses Coordinated Push

Bhubaneswar: Aadhaar has emerged as a transformative force in streamlining governance and improving citizen services across India, and Odisha stands at the forefront of this digital revolution, said Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja on Monday. Speaking at a state-level workshop titled “Deriving Maximum Impact out of Aadhaar”, Ahuja underlined how the unique identification platform has played a pivotal role in implementing landmark schemes such as Subhadra in record time.

The workshop, held at the Conference Hall of the Agriculture Department in Bhubaneswar, was jointly organised by the Unique Identification Authority of India’s (UIDAI) Regional Office in Hyderabad and the Electronics & IT Department of the Government of Odisha.

Ahuja said that widespread and coordinated usage of the Aadhaar ecosystem by different departments could turn Odisha’s development potential into a reality. “It can make the lives and livelihoods of people smoother, more efficient, and more transparent,” he remarked.

Principal Secretary of the Electronics & IT Department, Vishal Kumar Dev, highlighted Odisha’s achievements in Aadhaar linkage, driven by the concerted efforts of the Electronics & IT Department and OCAC (Odisha Computer Application Centre). However, he noted that more focused work is needed to improve Aadhaar enrolment among children under the age of five. The Women & Child Development Department and the Electronics & IT Department are collaborating on this front, he said.

UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar praised Odisha’s pioneering use of Aadhaar in welfare schemes. He noted that Aadhaar is currently used for the authentication of over 9.38 crore transactions daily and facilitates the delivery of benefits from more than 2,400 welfare schemes nationwide. He also emphasized that Aadhaar stores only seven core pieces of information, debunking myths about data overload.

“Aadhaar is the most widely accepted and trusted identity document in the country. Across states, it is being used to design new welfare mechanisms, improving lives significantly,” Kumar said.

The workshop also explored the potential of Aadhaar-enabled governance in land and agricultural sectors. Sharing insights from Karnataka, Sunil Kumar Pommala, Commissioner of the Revenue Department, said that Aadhaar-based land management has helped identify and rectify data inconsistencies. He expressed confidence that similar systems could greatly benefit Odisha’s farmers as well.

Senior UIDAI officials including Vivek Chandra Verma, P. Sangeeta, Col. Nikhil Sinha, and Sanjeev Yadav presented detailed sessions on the expanding role of Aadhaar in public services.

Notable contributors to Aadhaar adoption in Odisha were felicitated during the event. Those honoured included Dr. Pradeep Kumar Raut, CEO of OCAC, along with officials Pradeep Bishoi and Sujit Kumar Raut for their exemplary efforts in Aadhaar linkage.