Big Update on Aadhaar Card: Now you don’t have to pay for biometric updates on your Aadhaar card. The Aadhaar authority also known as UIDAI, has said this fee will be waived. But this rule is not for everyone. So, who can update biometrics for free?
UIDAI has said that children aged 7 to 15 will not have to pay the mandatory biometric update (MBU) charge. This new rule started on October 1. For the next one year, children in this age group can update their Aadhaar biometrics for free.
Big Relief for Children’s Aadhaar Updates
The ministry of electronics and information technology has stated that this decision will benefit about 6 crore minors. It will streamline access to education, scholarships, and other schemes that required an aadhaar card.
Children’s aadhaar cards are referred to as bal aadhaar, the cards are issued for children aged 0 to 5 and do not carry fingerprints or iris scans. When the child turns 5, the Aadhaar card needs to be updated to include fingerprints and iris scans, and again after the age of 15 with added biometric data. Children will no longer have to pay for these updates.
Mandatory biometric updates (MBU) for two age groups were previously 5-7 years and 15-17 years. Anyone past these ages wishing to update their aadhaar card had to pay Rs 125 per update.
