Forms of Aadhaar Aadhaar is available in four different forms Aadhaar Letter - After Aadhaar enrolment, UIDAI sends Aadhaar in a physical letter format and is delivered by the India Post. It contains your photo, demographic details like name, date of birth, gender, address and a secure QR code. Aadhaar PVC Card - The Aadhaar PVC Card is a durable, credit-card-sized version of Aadhaar with enhanced security features. The security features of this card include: Tamper-proof QR Code Hologram Micro text Ghost image Issue Date & Print Date Guilloche Pattern Embossed Aadhaar Logo It can be ordered online for ₹50 through the UIDAI website/myAadhaar Portal or mAadhaar App. e-Aadhaar : e-Aadhaar is an electronic version of your Aadhaar letter. It is a password-protected and digitally signed by UIDAI. It can be easily downloaded from myAadhaar Portal or mAadhaar App. It is a password-protected pdf file with a digital signature and QR code. Password of eAadhaar is a combination of the first 4 letters of name in CAPITAL and the year of birth (YYYY). mAadhaar : mAadhaar App can be used anywhere anytime within India. On one hand the mAadhaar profile is accepted as a valid ID proof and on the other, Aadhaar Number Holders can use the features in the app to share their eKYC or QR code with service providers while availing several service of their choice voluntarily. All forms of Aadhaar are equally valid and acceptable throughout the country. Usage of Aadhaar For Governments, Service Agencies Aadhaar and its platform offer a unique opportunity for the government to streamline its delivery mechanism under welfare schemes, thereby ensuring transparency and efficiency. The use of Aadhaar as an identity document enables beneficiaries to get their entitlements directly in a convenient and seamless manner by obviating the need to produce multiple documents to prove one’s identity. Aadhaar usage is growing rapidly and currently more than 3000 schemes, benefits and services offered by both the government ministries and departments in centre and states, as well as private sectors, are using Aadhaar for smooth delivery. It is facilitating Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business. Aadhaar seeding/linkage enables elimination of duplicates under various schemes, which leads to substantial savings to the government exchequers. It also provides the government with accurate data on the beneficiaries and enables implementation of direct benefit transfer (DBT) programmes. Aadhaar authentication enables the implementing agencies to verify the beneficiaries at the time of service/benefits delivery and also ensures the targeted delivery of benefits to them. All these activities lead to: Curbing Leakages through Targeted Delivery: All social welfare programmes where beneficiaries are required to be confirmed before the service delivery, stand to benefit from UIDAI’s authentication services. It curbs leakages and ensures that services are delivered to the intended beneficiaries only. Examples include subsidized food and kerosene delivery to Public Distribution System (PDS) beneficiaries, worksite attendance of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) beneficiaries, etc. Improving Efficiency and Efficacy: With the Aadhaar platform providing accurate, and transparent information about the service delivery mechanism, government can improve disbursement systems and utilize its development funds more effectively and efficiently. For Aadhaar number holders Aadhaar system provides single source offline/online identity verification across the country for the Aadhaar number holders. Once Aadhaar number holders enrol, they can use their Aadhaar number to authenticate and establish their identity using online authentication or through offline verification. It also helps crores of people who migrate from one part of the country to another to easily verify their identity anytime, anywhere. Source : UIDAI