The popularity of Aadhaar signatures is growing with the number of enrollments for aadhaar which is around 125 crore so far, confirms the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
uidai.gov.in
Since a huge percentage of the population uses Aadhaar, let’s first understand what aadhaar is and its importance in India.
What exactly is Aadhaar Number/ Card?
Aadhaar number is basically a unique 12-digit number issued by the UIDAI to all the residents of India. The aadhaar number is allocated after an intense verification process by the Government to the individual, irrespective of age or gender, residing in India. It is based on demographic information like Name, DOB, Address, Mobile No. and biometric information like Fingerprints, Iris scans and Facial photo of a particular individual. It is robust enough to eliminate the fake identities and is used by the Government of India to directly reach out to the residents of the country in delivering various subsidies, welfare schemes, services and benefits by using their unique Aadhaar number itself. Aadhaar identification is one of the great examples of Digital India, which has achieved several milestones and is considered as the largest biometrics-based identification system across the world.
According to UIDAI, Aadhaar was used around 7.8 billion times for authentication (eKYC) purposes.
Aadhaar is considered as one of the most important identification documents in India.
The link between Aadhaar and E-signatures
An electronic signature is basically used by a signatory to sign or authorize a document digitally. It holds importance similar to wet signatures but has to adhere to the norms and regulations of the Indian Government. It can be a symbol, letters or any other process.
E-signatures are the foundation for Aadhaar e-sign as it facilitates aadhaar number holders to digitally sign a document which is valid across India.
To e-sign with aadhaar, an individual must register his mobile number with the Aadhaar. And by fulfilling this basic requirement, anyone can E-sign a document irrespective of their location. While signing a document, an individual just needs to enter their unique Aadhaar number and an OTP is sent to the registered mobile number for verification. Post verification, the aadhaar sign is added to the document.
Aadhaar based eSign is a government-approved method of digitally signing a document and holds the legal importance similar to the hand-written signatures. In fact, as per the Aadhaar act, digital signatures including Aadhaar eSigns weighs more than the hand-written ones.
People often get confused in the terms of digital signatures, aadhaar e-signatures, etc. and can use them interchangeably. Let’s take note of the actual difference between them.
Difference between Digital signatures and Aadhaar eSignature
Digital signatures are done with the help of Digital Signature Certificates that are issued by a Certified Authority. A digital signature certificate is stored/embedded in a document or a device in a secured form using a password.
Aadhaar eSign, on the other hand, is done using the Aadhar number of the signer. The signer uses his aadhaar number as well as OTP on his/ her registered mobile number. Upon entering this, the signature gets bound to an electronic document.
Aadhaar based eSign is used in various industries like Banking, financial services, telecommunication, retail, and many more to sign documents like the application forms, account opening documents, agreements, verification documents, contracts, etc depending on what the specific law of the industry allows.
Benefits of Aadhaar eSignature
- Instant signing using Aadhaar number
- Easy use with unique aadhaar id
- Safe and secure process with registered mobile number and OTP
- Legally valid as approved by Government of India
- Privacy of the signatory is maintained
- No physical presence is required for verification
Aadhaar eSign: A Revolution
Aadhaar e-sign is a revolutionary method that ensures that all the residents of the country can take advantage of this law compliant digital signing technology in a fast, secure and convenient way. We at Cygnature help you out in executing this methodology in your business process and let your organization stand hand in hand with the technological advancements. Cygnature offers aadhaar sign directly from its interface.
