UGC Bars Universities From Printing Aadhaar Numbers On Degrees, Certificates

UGC instructs universities not to print Aadhaar numbers on degrees and certificates.

University Grants Commission (UGC)

The University Grants Commission (UGC) in a notification has instructed higher education institutions (HEIs) to adhere strictly to the rules and regulations set by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Specifically, HEIs are directed not to print the full Aadhaar card number on students' degree certificates.

The UGC said it has been brought to the notice from news reports appearing in a section of the media that some state governments are considering the printing of the full Aadhaar number of university students on provisional certificates and degrees issued by the universities for subsequent use in verification of the said documents at the time of recruitment or admission.

In this regard, attention is invited to sub-regulation (3) of regulation 6 of the Aadhaar (Sharing of Information) Regulations, zo16, which provide that no entity in possession of the Aadhaar number shall make public any database or record containing the same, unless the
Aadhaar number has been redacted or blacked out through appropriate means, said UGC.

As per the regulations, as they currently stand, printing of the Aadhaar number on provisional certificates and degrees is not permissible. The Higher Education Institutions are, therefore, requested to strictly comply with the rules and regulations of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the UGC has said.

Notably, the University Grants Commission (UGC) is a statutory body operating under the Department of Higher Education within the Ministry of Education, Government of India. It was established in accordance with the UGC Act of 1956 and is responsible for coordinating, determining, and maintaining standards of higher education throughout India.

The headquarters are in New Delhi, and it has six regional centres in Pune, Bhopal, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Bangalore. A proposal to replace it with another new regulatory body called HECI is under consideration by the Government of India.