UIDAI finishes biometric updates for 2 crore students in special drive

The Unique Identification Authority of India has completed mandatory biometric updates for over 2 crore school children across roughly 1.6 lakh schools, the agency said Tuesday. The work was done under a special drive that started in September 2025.

Mandatory biometric updates, or MBU, are triggered when a child turns 5 and again at 15. For children under 5, Aadhaar enrollment captures only demographic data and a photograph; fingerprints and iris scans are not taken until the child is older. Without updated biometrics, students can run into authentication problems when trying to access government scheme benefits or register for competitive exams such as NEET, JEE and CUET, the statement said.