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New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in a press statement on Monday announced that Aadhaar holders recorded 1.96 billion authentication transactions in April 2023, marking a remarkable increase of over 19.3 percent when compared to April 2022. These numbers indicate the growing digital economy in India and the widespread usage of Aadhaar, the unique identification system, the statement added.

Further, the statement also highlighted that the majority of these authentication transactions were carried out using fingerprint authentication, followed by demographic and One-Time Password (OTP) based authentications. Face authentication is also witnessing notable usage across various sectors, facilitating seamless service delivery, it added.

While Aadhaar saturation among the adult population remains nearly universal, the saturation level among all age groups has now reached 94.8 percent, showcasing the extensive reach and adoption of Aadhaar among residents. In April alone, over 15.44 million Aadhaar details were updated as per residents’ requests, the statement noted.

The Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS) is playing a crucial role in promoting financial inclusion for individuals at the bottom of the income pyramid. In April, AePS and the network of micro-ATMs facilitated over 200.6 million last mile banking transactions, providing accessible banking services to underserved populations, said the statement.

The statement also claimed that Aadhaar e-KYC service continues to be a driving force in the banking and non-banking financial services sectors, enhancing transparency and improving customer experiences, thus facilitating ease of doing business. In April alone, more than 250.5 million e-KYC transactions were carried out, further streamlining identity verification processes. The cumulative number of Aadhaar e-KYC transactions has now surpassed 14.95 billion, the statement added.

Highlighting the role of Aadhaar, it said, Aadhaar, serving as the foundation of India’s digital public infrastructure and a tool for good governance, continues to play an instrumental role in improving the lives of citizens. Whether it is e-KYC for identity verification, AePS for last mile banking, or Aadhaar-enabled Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for direct fund transfer, Aadhaar’s pervasive influence is driving the nation’s digital transformation and supporting the government’s efforts towards inclusive growth, it added. The increasing usage of Aadhaar authentication transactions underscores the growing embrace of digital solutions in India and sets the stage for further advancements in the country’s digital economy.