By simplifying address-proof function, Aadhaar seeks to expand access

What's changed now is that the UIDAI will offer users the option of updating their address

Aadhaar made news three times last week. Of them, two got noticed but the most consequential one was largely overlooked.

First, on June 1, the United Payments Interface or UPI, the platform on which all digital payments run in the country, reported processing Rs 10 trillion worth of transactions, for May. This is a massive number. In just two months of this financial year, it has almost reached one-fourth of the total transactions of FY22. UPI’s backbone is mostly Aadhaar.

Second, a press release from a regional office of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the company that runs Aadhaar, asking