No more photocopies: Centre launches new Aadhaar app with Face ID feature
New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday launched a new Aadhaar mobile application aimed at enhancing digital convenience and privacy. The app was unveiled by Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, in the national capital.
The app allows users to verify and share Aadhaar details digitally, eliminating the need to carry physical copies or submit photocopies for identification. “New Aadhaar App, Face ID authentication via mobile app. No physical card, no photocopies,” said Vaishnaw in a video message on X.
Key features of the app include Face ID-based authentication and QR code scanning for Aadhaar verification, making the process as easy as a UPI payment. The minister highlighted that users can share only the required data with their consent, ensuring full control over their personal information.
Vaishnaw also stated that the app, currently in its beta testing phase, has been developed with strong privacy safeguards. It prevents misuse, forgery, or editing of Aadhaar details.
The digital tool aims to remove the need for Aadhaar photocopies at places like hotels, shops, and airports. Emphasising Aadhaar’s role in government initiatives, the minister also invited stakeholders to explore ways of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) with India’s digital public infrastructure (DPI), keeping privacy as the central focus.
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Govt to set up Bureau of Port Security to boost port, vessel security
New Delhi (PTI): To beef up the security infrastructure of ports, the government will set up a statutory body -- the Bureau of Port Security -- that will ensure timely analysis, collection and exchange of security-related information of ports and vessels, officials said on Friday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday convened a meeting for the constitution of the dedicated body, the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS), which was attended by the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, and the Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu, an official statement said.
Emphasising that there is a need to establish a country-wide robust port security framework, Shah directed that security measures should be implemented in a graded and risk-based manner, taking into account vulnerabilities, trade potential, location, and other relevant parameters.
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The meeting also noted that lessons learned from the maritime security framework shall be replicated in the aviation security domain, the statement said.
The new body, modelled on the lines of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), will be constituted as a statutory body under the new Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, and will work under the aegis of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), it said.
Headed by a senior IPS officer as its director general, the BoPS will be responsible for regulatory and oversight functions relating to the security of ships and port facilities.
"During the transition period of one year, the director general of shipping shall function as the director general of BoPS," the statement said.
"The BoPS will ensure timely analysis, collection and exchange of security-related information, with a special focus on cybersecurity, including a dedicated division to safeguard port IT infrastructure from digital threats," it said.
The government has designated the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as a recognised security organisation (RSO), responsible for undertaking security assessments and preparation of security plans for port facilities.
The Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) will train and build the capacities of private security agencies (PSAs) engaged in port security.
"These agencies shall be certified and appropriate regulatory measures shall be introduced to ensure that only the licensed PSAs operate in this sector," the statement said.
