Bhuvnesh Kumar new CEO of the UIDAI

1995 batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, Bhuvnesh Kumar has taken over as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on 2 January 2025. He replaces Amit Aggarwal who has been appointed as the Secretary, of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India.

Bhuvnesh Kumar apart from being the CEO of the UIDAI will also be the Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India.

About Bhuvnesh Kumar 

Bhuvnesh Kumar has held several important posts in the Uttar Pradesh government. He was Principal Secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries. Previously he was the Secretary of Finance, Secretary of MSME, Secretary of Technical Education, and Divisional Commissioner, the Department of Land Revenue.

About the UIDAI 

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) was set up in 2009 by the central government under the Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog).

In 2015 the UIDAI was transferred to the Department of Electronics & Information Technology (DeitY) of the then Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

Presently it is under the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

It was made a statutory body in 2016 under the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 (“Aadhaar Act 2016).

Nandan Nilekani was the first chairman of UIDAI.

Function of UIDAI

• It issues Unique Identification numbers (UID), named "Aadhaar", to all residents of India. 
• It is responsible for Aadhaar enrolment and authentication, including operation and management of all stages of the Aadhaar life cycle.
• It is responsible for developing the policy, procedure, and system for issuing Aadhaar numbers to individuals and performing authentication and the security of identity information and authentication records of individuals.

About Aadhaar 

• Aadhaar is a 12-digit alphanumeric biometric number that is a proof of identity and residence for residents of India. 
• According to the Aadhaar Act, a resident means a person who has resided in India for a minimum period of 182 days or more in 12 months before applying for an Aadhaar.
• In 2019 the government of India allowed non-resident Indians (NRI) to apply for Aadhaar.
• A foreign citizen who has been living in India for 182 days in the past 12 months can also apply for Aadhaar. 
• Aadhaar has been made mandatory for the filing of Income tax in India.
• The first Aadhaar number was issued on 29 September 2010 to a resident of Nandurbar, Maharashtra.