Panaji, July 15 : The biometric data of Aadhaar cannot be hacked even if someone tried a billion times, Union Minister for Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Sunday, while calling the data storage system "completely safe and secure".

"... the system contains my fingerprints and my iris scan, kept in a safe and secure condition which cannot be broken into even with billion efforts," Prasad said at a public function organised here.

The Minister said that Aadhaar authorities conduct nearly one crore authentications every second.

"Do you know how many authentications we do every three seconds? Three crore. Do you know how many bank accounts are linked to Aadhaar? 80 crore accounts. And Aadhaar is your homegrown technology (at) one dollar each and completely safe and secure with proper parliamentary approval."

"(It is) so tough that even if I disclose information regarding a fingerprint and iris scan to an unknown person, except in case of national security, I can be prosecuted. That is the inclusive part we have done," Prasad said, lauding the Modi government for "taking rapid steps in making India more digital".

"What is the digital profile of India? For a population of 130 crore, India is home to 121 crore mobile phones, 450 million smartphones, 50 crore plus Internet (connections) and 122 crore Aadhaar cards," Prasad said.

Calling 'Digital India' as a transformative programme designed to empower the ordinary Indians with the power of technology, Prasad said that India looked to be a leader in digital revolution.

"We missed the industrial revolution, we missed the entrepreneurial revolution, which happened in the world in the 60s, 70s, and 80s because of licence-quota raj. We do not want to miss the digital revolution. We want to become leaders. That is the philosophy of Digital India," he said.

prasad said that one of the key objectives of Digital India is to bridge the gulf between 'digital haves' and 'digital have nots' and usher in digital inclusion based on technology which is developmental, inclusive and low cost.

"That is the transformative nature of Digital India, Skill India, Startup India, Smart Cities. It is all technology-based prgramming designed to empower ordinary Indians to reform, perform and transform," Prasad said.



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Kochi (PTI): Dramatic scenes unfolded at the Ernakulam town hall, where the mortal remains of CPI(M) leader M M Lawrence were kept for public homage, as the late leader's daughter protested the decision to hand over his body to the Government Medical College Hospital here.

The unexpected events occurred after Asha moved the Kerala High Court, challenging the decision of her siblings to donate their father's body to the medical college for educational purposes.

The High Court, after considering the plea, directed the Kalamassery Medical College authorities to hear the objections and take a decision in accordance with the Kerala Anatomy Act.

The court also instructed the college to preserve the body for the time being at the mortuary.

In her petition, the daughter claimed that her father had been baptized and that all his children were baptized in the church.

She further alleged that her siblings along with the Communist party were attempting to project him as an atheist.

Two of Lawrence's children had previously given their consent to handing over the body to the medical college.

Lawrence died on September 21 at the age of 95.

Meanwhile, the ruling CPI(M) clarified that it has no role in the matter.

Whether to hand over the body to the medical college or bury it in a church is a decision for the family, the party said.

CPI(M) district secretary K A Salim said that the decision to hand over the body to the medical college was made by his son.

The court's decision came as the Medical College authorities reached the town hall to take possession of the body.

Asha, the complainant in the case, protested as the body was being handed over to the Medical College authorities amidst chanting of slogans by CPI(M) workers who had gathered to pay their last respects to the departed leader.

Lawrence's son said he decided to hand over the body for medical studies as per his father's last wish.