Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government has enabled Aadhaar-based authentication for 20 high-demand citizen services on the Digital Gujarat Portal, aiming to make service delivery faster, paperless, and more transparent. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday, according to an official press release.

Announcing the move, government spokesperson and minister Jitu Vaghani said the initiative follows recommendations of the Gujarat Administrative Reforms Commission and covers the most frequently accessed public services, including income certificates, SEBC certificates, non-creamy layer certificates, and ration card-related services.

The minister said Aadhaar authentication will improve accuracy and curb duplication, ensuring that benefits reach only eligible beneficiaries. Applicants’ consent will be mandatory before authentication is carried out.

Once Aadhaar authentication is successfully completed, citizens will not be required to submit additional proof of identity or residence, significantly simplifying and digitising the application process.

Authentication will be carried out through OTP-based or biometric methods, depending on availability. However, the government clarified that citizens without Aadhaar, or those facing authentication failures due to technical reasons, will continue to receive services through alternative identity verification mechanisms.

On data security, the government said full Aadhaar numbers will not be displayed in the system, with only masked Aadhaar (last four digits) visible where necessary. All security protocols prescribed by the Unique Identification Authority of India will be strictly followed.

The most used ‘Top 20’ services on the ‘Digital Gujarat’ portal are as follows:

These services include Income Certificate (Gram Panchayat), Income Certificate (Urban), Income Certificate (Rural), Socially and Educationally Backward Class Certificate (Rural), Non-Creamy Layer Certificate (Gujarat Government) – Urban, Non-Creamy Layer Certificate (Gujarat Government) – Rural, Socially and Educationally Backward Class Certificate (Urban), Non-Creamy Layer Certificate (Government of India), Scheduled Caste Certificate (Panchayat), Certificate for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) (with Income) – Rural, Certificate for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) (with Income) – Urban, Addition of Name in Ration Card, Deletion of Name from Ration Card, Correction in Ration Card, Creation of Separate Ration Card, Application for New Ration Card, Application for Duplicate Ration Card, including applications, prepared affidavits, requests for copies, and Scheduled Tribe certificates.

DeshGujarat