The Government of Assam in recent years has launched many citizen centric e-Governance applications and DBT schemes for the benefits for the citizens. Also, with an increased Aadhaar enrolment (more than 80%) in the State, has created an opportunity for the IT Department to adopt and create an ecosystem of Aadhaar based Authentication facilities in the State to take advantage of faster services delivery, good governance, efficient, transparent, and targeted delivery of subsidies, benefits and services to the Citizens.

With this view, DITEC, under IT Department, has been mandated to be the first Aadhaar based Authentication User Agency/e-KYC User Agency (AUA/KUA) for the State. This provides the Government of Assam to have its first AUA/KUA, which will immensely increase access to Aadhaar services and its associated technology for real-time Aadhaar-based authentication services such as e-KYC verification, biometric, demographic/personal information verification that can be availed by requesting entities (government/public /private entities).

With the formation of  Aadhaar based Authentication User Agency, DITEC shall offer the following service with Aadhaar usage:

·          Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): Aadhaar will play a phenomenal role in establishing identity of beneficiaries, reducing inclusion and exclusion errors, eliminating ghost beneficiaries and thereby saving crores of public money which may be utilized for other productive purposes. Using DBT, departments may directly transfer money to the intended beneficiaries through Aadhaar number.

·           E-KYC: Departments may use the e-KYC verification to facilitate services using Aadhaar.

·           E-Signing: e-Sign facilities may be availed by the Departments.

Any Government Departments or agencies wanting to avail the Aadhaar linked services need to go through an Aadhaar Authentication Services provider, which is mandated in the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016.

IT Department has deliberated upon setting up of a necessary infrastructure for creation of State level Aadhaar Authentication User Agency (AUA) ecosystem for providing services to all other departments and their sub organisations. Other Departments will act as a sub AUA and they will need to define the degree of verification/authentication in their application for authenticating a service request from the citizens or applicant such as mobile number, biometrics data such as fingerprints, personal and demographic information or combination based on the needs of the service.