Aadhaar Enrolment: Iris Scan Allowed Without Fingerprints

New Delhi, Dec 9 (PTI) The government on Saturday said a person who is eligible for Aadhaar can enrol using Iris scan in case fingerprints are unavailable.

The statement comes after Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar intervened to ensure the enrolment of a woman, Josymol P Jose, in Kerala who could not get enrolled for Aadhaar as she did not have fingers.

A team from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) visited Jose at her home in Kumarakam, Kottayam district, in Kerala, the same day and got her Aadhaar number generated, the statement said.

Chandrasekhar said an advisory has been sent to all Aadhaar Service Kendras giving instructions that Aadhaar should be issued to people like Jose or to others having blurred finger prints or similar disability, by taking alternate biometrics.

"A person who is eligible for Aadhaar but unable to provide fingerprints may enrol using only iris scan. Similarly, an eligible person whose irises cannot be captured due to any reason may enrol using only her or his fingerprint," the statement said.

An eligible person who is unable to provide both finger and iris biometrics may enrol without submitting any of the two, as per the statement.

The name, gender, address and date and year of birth of the person who is unable to provide both finger and iris biometrics are captured, along with the available biometrics while highlighting the missing ones in the enrolment software, it said.

Further, a photograph is taken in the manner specified in the guidelines to highlight the unavailability of fingers or iris or both and the Supervisor of the Aadhaar enrolment centre is to validate such enrolment as an exceptional one, it said.

"Every eligible person who undergoes the enrolment process by submitting the required information may be issued an Aadhaar number, irrespective of any inability to provide biometrics," the statement said.

UIDAI also inquired into the reasons why Aadhaar number did not get issued to Jose when she enrolled earlier and learnt that this was because of the Aadhaar enrolment operator not following the exceptional enrolment procedure.

According to the statement, UIDAI enrols about 1,000 people every day under exceptional enrolment as above.

"Till date, UIDAI has issued Aadhaar numbers to nearly 29 lakh persons who had missing fingers or were otherwise unable to provide finger or iris or both biometrics," the statement added.