Tripura launches statewide Aadhaar biometric update drive for school students

The Tripura School Education Department has launched a statewide drive to update the biometric details linked to Aadhaar cards of students studying in government and private schools through special camps, officials said.

The department has deployed around 50 specially trained teachers and staff to conduct the camps, where biometric updates for students up to 18 years of age are being carried out free of cost.

Officials said the exercise aims to ensure that students' Aadhaar records remain valid and updated, enabling seamless access to education-related services and government welfare schemes.

The mandatory biometric update (MBU) of Aadhaar is required at the ages of five and 15 years as children's facial features, fingerprints and iris patterns change with age.

According to officials, updated biometric information is necessary to avoid technical issues during registration for board examinations, entrance tests, college admissions and applications for government scholarships and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes. Failure to complete the update could result in delays or rejection of applications at different stages of a student's academic career, they said.

The officials said the initiative would also help schools maintain accurate student records in government databases, including UDISE+, while reducing duplicate or fraudulent enrolments.

They said updated Aadhaar records would facilitate the efficient delivery of benefits such as mid-day meals, free uniforms and other government assistance to eligible students, besides easing administrative verification and compliance requirements.

The Directorate of Elementary Education had earlier established Aadhaar centres in all Education Inspectorates across the state, following which around 99 per cent of students were enrolled for Aadhaar, officials said.

The Directorate of Secondary Education has now taken up the biometric update drive to ensure that students who already possess Aadhaar complete the mandatory biometric authentication process.

Officials said biometric camps would be organised in schools across the state to achieve biometric authentication of all students through fingerprint verification, in line with directions issued by the Cabinet Secretariat and the Ministry of Education.

The department said the exercise is aimed at ensuring that all eligible students have updated Aadhaar records for uninterrupted access to educational and welfare services.