Aadhaar data safe, says IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday said that there has not been a single case of data breach from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) database till today.

Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the minister said the Aadhaar data was fully safe and secure.

The minister claimed that a media report saying that Aadhaar data was available to anyone for a sum of Rs 500 was a case of "misreporting and completely false".

"UIDAI, for the purpose of grievance handling, has provided a search facility to state government officials, which provide demographic information of the person whose enrolment ID or Aadhaar is provided. The reported case was a misuse of the said facility," Prasad said.

The minister said the UIDAI had filed a complaint on January 4 with full details of the incident, on which an FIR was registered by the Crime Branch in the cyber cell of Delhi Police against unknown persons under several sections of the Aadhaar Act and the IT Act.

The news report had said that Aadhaar details of thousands of people could be accessed by paying Rs 500 to a private person.