UIDAI picks Accenture for biometric solution

NEW DELHI, INDIA: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has awarded a contract to Accenture to implement the core biometric identification system in support of the 'Aadhaar' program.

The goal of the program is to provide each Indian resident with a unique identification number - Aadhaar, and enable easier, more efficient and secure access to government and commercial services, said a press release.

The program is designed to confirm the identity of the 1.2 billion residents of India, making it the largest identity management program in the world.

Under the terms of this initial contract, which will run up to two years or until 200 million enrollments, Accenture will build a new system to help manage identity-related de-duplication and verification requests from both public and private organizations.

Accenture will also assist UIDAI in performance benchmarking and management of data quality for continuous improvement of the biometric solution, in addition to operating and maintaining the system.

The program is being developed using leading-edge technology that will be deployed in an innovative manner designed to reach the most remote residents of India.

“The Aadhaar program will not only be designed to enable the government to deliver important social welfare programs like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MNREGA) to rural India, but also provide easier access for residents to services and resources such as health, education and welfare programs,” said Krishna Giri, managing director of Accenture's Management Consulting practice within its Health & Public Service practice in the Asia Pacific region.

He added that they look forward to working closely with the government of India on this landmark initiative.

“I am pleased that UIDAI recognizes Accenture’s commitment to India by tapping our global experience and local knowledge to help implement this automated biometric identification system,” said Stephen J. Rohleder, group chief executive of Accenture’s Health & Public Service operating group.

He added that they are confident of the opportunities in India and are scaling their capabilities to support this and other health and public service initiatives in the future.