Uttar Pradesh Faces Massive Aadhaar Update Backlog: 1.4 Crore Children Await Biometric Revision

Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | December 1, 2025 Uttar Pradesh is grappling with a huge backlog of Aadhaar updates, with over 2.5 crore individuals above 15 years yet to complete biometric updation, while 1.4 crore children between the ages of 5 and 15 are also pending, according to officials from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). The state government and UIDAI have intensified efforts to address this pendency, especially in schools, as part of a focused statewide campaign. Deputy Director General of UIDAI’s Lucknow regional office, Prashant Kumar Singh, confirmed that despite ongoing initiatives, cities including Lucknow, Noida, Agra, and Meerut report particularly high pending cases. Aadhaar enrolment in the state already covers 57.86 lakh children under five and 5.90 crore children aged five to 15, but updates remain incomplete due to migration, school transfers, and other reasons. The current updation drive, launched on September 9, involves extensive field operations with around 150 active biometric camps. UIDAI plans to organise 10,000 camps statewide, with over 3,000 already completed. These camps move from one school to another, prioritising locations with the highest number of pending updates. Since the drive began, around 4 lakh children have had their biometric details updated in targeted schools. Uttar Pradesh has 2.63 lakh government, private, and aided schools, with over 4.18 crore students enrolled. However, pendency remains significant, with 60 lakh children aged 5–15 and 40 lakh individuals over 15 yet to complete their updates. To accelerate progress, UIDAI is prioritising the top 10 schools with high pending cases in each of the state’s 822 administrative blocks. These 10,000 schools, though only 4% of the total, contribute nearly 30% of the overall backlog, allowing focused efforts to make faster progress. Incentives have also been introduced to encourage participation. UIDAI offers a one-time biometric update free of cost for children aged 5 to 17 years, which has notably boosted enrolment in the campaign. Officials believe that targeted camps, combined with free updates and concentrated efforts in high-density schools, will gradually reduce the backlog across the state. The campaign highlights the ongoing challenges in maintaining accurate and updated Aadhaar records in a populous state like Uttar Pradesh. Authorities emphasise the importance of parental cooperation and school participation to ensure children complete their biometric updates, which are essential for accessing government schemes, education benefits, and other services. UIDAI and state authorities continue to monitor the progress of the initiative, aiming to clear the pending Aadhaar updates efficiently while ensuring that every eligible child and adult receives proper biometric enrolment. Uttar Pradesh Faces Massive Aadhaar Update Backlog: 1.4 Crore Children Await Biometric Revision Uttar Pradesh is dealing with a huge backlog of Aadhaar updates, with 1.4 crore children aged 5–15 and over 2.5 crore individuals above 15 still needing to complete their biometric details. Officials from UIDAI say the state is focusing on schools to reduce the pending cases and ensure updates reach every eligible child. The updation drive, launched on September 9, has set up around 150 biometric camps so far, with over 3,000 camps already completed. These camps move between schools, prioritising locations with the highest number of pending updates. Since the drive began, around 4 lakh children in targeted schools have completed their biometric revision. UP has 2.63 lakh schools with more than 4.18 crore students, but pendency remains high due to migration, school transfers, and other reasons. UIDAI is prioritising 10 schools with high pendency in each of the state’s 822 administrative blocks. These 10,000 schools contribute nearly 30% of the total backlog, allowing focused efforts for faster results. Officials also said children aged 5–17 can update their biometrics free of cost, which has improved participation. Cities like Lucknow, Noida, Agra, and Meerut report particularly high pending cases. Authorities are continuing the campaign with a targeted approach to ensure every child and adult completes their Aadhaar update in the state.