To enhance user experience, the Unique Identification Authority of India has launched its new artificial intelligence (AI)/ machine learning (ML)-based chatbot, Aadhaar Mitra. The government’s flagship programme Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identification card that serves as proof of identity and address for Indian citizens.
The Aadhar Mitra chatbot comes with enhanced features that allow users to check Aadhaar enrolment/update statuses, track Aadhaar PVC card statuses, and get information on enrolment centre locations, among others. People can also register their grievances and track them using the chatbot. It is available in English and Hindi. The chatbot can be accessed on the UIDAI website’s home page and the resident portal. Users can start a conversation with the chatbot by clicking on the blue “Ask Aadhaar” icon.
According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), UIDAI has a robust grievance redressal mechanism comprising UIDAI HQ, its regional offices, the technology centre, and engaged contact centre partners. Over the past few years, the government has been striving to make Aadhaar holders’ experience progressively better.
A resident-centric coordinated approach has enabled UIDAI to resolve nearly 92% of customer relationship management (CRM) grievances within a week, MeitY said. The organisation is facilitating ease of living and is further committed to strengthening its grievance redressal mechanism. To efficiently lodge, track, and resolve grievances, the new CRM solution can handle a variety of channels like phone calls, emails, chatbots, web portals, social media, letters, and walk-ins.
UIDAI has topped among all group A ministries, departments, and autonomous bodies for resolving public grievances in the rankings report published by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) for October 2022. This is the third month in a row UIDAI has topped the rankings.
The rate of Aadhaar adoption and usage has been steadily increasing and continues to progress well. Most public services can only be accessed using an Aadhaar card as it is mandatory for mobile and Internet connections.
In September, 252.5 million e-know your customer (KYC) transactions were executed via Aadhaar, almost a 7.7% jump compared to August. An e-KYC transaction is carried out only with the explicit consent of the Aadhaar holder. It eliminates physical paperwork and in-person verification requirements for KYC. Aadhaar e-KYC service is playing an increasingly crucial role in banking and non-banking financial services by promoting a more transparent customer experience, the government recently claimed. As OpenGov Asia reported, the total number of e-KYC transactions via Aadhaar reached 12.97 billion by the end of September.
Further, 15.49 billion last-mile banking transactions were carried out through the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) and the network of micro-ATMs by the end of September. Also, in the same month, over 210 million AEPS transactions were carried out across India.
1.75 billion authentication transactions were carried out via Aadhaar in September. Most of these monthly transactions were done by using fingerprint biometric authentication, followed by demographic and OTP authentication. A total of 82.5 billion authentication transactions were completed by the end of September.