Mainstream WeeklyI will give my blood but will not allow the roll out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise based on National Population Register (NPR) and Aadhaar Numbers
— Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister, West Bengal reaction to the deactivation of Aadhaar Numbers at a Press Conference, February 19, 2024
As on 17.01.2018, approx 68.6 Lakh Aadhaars are in deactivated state. There is no system of maintaining year wise records of deactivations. Maintaining such a database is not required under the Aadhaar Act, 2016 and Aadhaar (Enrolment & Update) Regulations, 2016.
— Reply of Minister of Electronics and Information Technology to a question from Dr. Shashi Tharoor, February 7, 2018
UIDAI informed, that they had deactivated about 40.91 Lakh Aadhaar for want of Biometric Update as on 01 November 2019.
— Comptroller Auditor General (CAG)’s Report on Functioning of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for the period from 2014-15 to 2018-19, April 6, 2022, p. 44
As a matter of fact, till 01 November 2019, 37,551 Aadhaar numbers were deactivated due to disputed Personally Identifiable Information (PII) documents.
— CAG’s Report, p.46
I am really shocked to see such an action of de-activation of Aadhaar Cards in the State against the interest of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and the poor section of the society. Is it just for the sake of depriving the eligible beneficiaries of the benefit or to create a panic situation among the people at large just before the ensuing Lok Sabha Elections?
— Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister, West Bengal in her letter to the Prime Minister in reaction to the deactivation of Aadhaar Numbers on February 19, 2024
The term “omitting and deactivating