UIDAI to Use Behavioural Insights to Increase Adoption of Biometric Updates for Children

New Delhi — The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) announced on Tuesday that it will leverage behavioural insights to promote the adoption of the Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU) for children, following the recent decision to waive all MBU-related charges for Aadhaar updates.

To support this initiative, UIDAI has signed a partnership with Behavioural Insights Limited (BIT), a research consultancy, aimed at helping children and young people access essential services through timely biometric updates in their Aadhaar records.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focuses on increasing MBU compliance among children at the ages of 5 and 15 years, while tackling behavioural, logistical, and awareness challenges. The goal is to ensure that Aadhaar-linked services and benefits remain accessible without disruption.

According to the Ministry of Electronics and IT, “Tailored behavioural interventions will be designed, tested, and implemented to encourage Aadhaar MBU updates.”

UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar emphasized that aligning technology with human behaviour transforms digital identity from a purely technical system into a more seamless, trustworthy, and empowering experience. “Through this MoU, we hope to achieve exactly that,” he said.

Rachel Coyle, CEO of BIT, added that applying evidence-based behavioural insights can significantly boost the rate of Aadhaar updates, ensuring that more citizens—especially children—can access vital public services.

As per UIDAI guidelines, every child enrolled in Aadhaar must update their biometrics—fingerprints, iris scan, and photograph—upon turning 5 years old and again at 15 years old.

UIDAI has been consistently working to improve MBU adoption in these age groups. In a major pro-people move, it has waived all fees for biometric updates for children aged 7 to 15 years, a decision expected to benefit nearly 6 crore children.

The waiver came into effect on October 1, 2025, and will remain valid for one year.

With inputs from IANS