Aadhaar enrolment offers iris scan option in absence of fingerprint availability

The Indian government on Saturday said a person who is eligible for an Aadhaar can enrol using an Iris scan in case fingerprints are unavailable. In an official statement, Chandrasekhar said, “A team from the Unique Identification Authority of India visited Jose at her home in Kumarakam, Kottayam district, in Kerala, the same day and got her Aadhaar number generated.” He said an advisory has been sent to all Aadhaar Service Kendras giving instructions that an Aadhaar should be issued to people like Jose or others having blurred fingerprints or similar disability, by taking alternate biometrics. An eligible person who is unable to provide both finger and iris biometrics may enrol without submitting any of the two, the statement said, adding that 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. "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 read. "To 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.