New Delhi [India], July 17 (ANI): The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament which met on Thursday morning to review the functioning of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), based on the CAG Report of 2021.

The committee heard a briefing from the Audit team and received oral evidence from officials of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the UIDAI.

PAC Chairman and Congress MP KC Venugopal stated that Aadhaar-related issues directly affect common people and require serious attention, especially those linked to biometric verification. He assured that the panel will examine the matter in detail.

Venugopal told ANI, 'This is a common man's issue. There are many issues, like biometric verification. So many questions have been raised. We will definitely look into the details.'

On Tuesday, UIDAI reiterated the importance of completing the Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU) for children who have attained the age of seven but have not yet updated their biometrics in Aadhaar.

According to a statement, this is an existing requirement under Aadhaar, and parents or guardians can update their child's details at any Aadhaar Seva Kendra or designated Aadhaar centre.

A child under the age of five enrols for Aadhaar by providing their photograph, name, date of birth, gender, address, and documents as proof. The fingerprints and iris biometrics of a child are not captured for Aadhaar enrolment below the age of five because these are not mature at that age.

According to existing rules, fingerprints, iris scans, and a photo are mandatorily required to be updated in the child's Aadhaar when they reach the age of five years. This is referred to as the first Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU). If the child performs the MBU between the ages of five and seven, it is provided at no cost. However, after the age of seven, a prescribed fee of Rs 100 only.

Timely completion of MBU is a crucial requirement for maintaining the accuracy and reliability of children's biometric data. If the MBU is not completed by the time the individual reaches 7 years of age, their Aadhaar number may be deactivated, as per existing rules, as stated in the release.

Aadhaar with updated biometric information facilitates ease of living and ensures seamless usage of Aadhaar in availing services such as school admissions, registering for entrance examinations, and availing benefits of scholarships and DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) schemes, wherever applicable. Parents/ guardians are advised to update the biometrics of their children/wards in Aadhaar, on priority.

UIDAI has started sending SMS messages to mobile numbers registered in the Aadhaar of such children for completing the MBU exercise. (ANI)