Bhubaneswar, Nov. 27 -- The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated more than 2 crore Aadhaar numbers belonging to deceased individuals as part of a nationwide effort to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the Aadhaar database. According to the Ministry of Electronics & IT, the cleanup drive aims to prevent identity fraud and misuse of Aadhaar-linked welfare benefits.

UIDAI reportedly obtained records of deceased persons from the Registrar General of India (RGI), state and union territory administrations, the Public Distribution System, and the National Social Assistance Program. The authority is also seeking partnerships with financial institutions and other agencies to collect additional data on deceased ind...