The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has completed mandatory biometric updates (MBU) of students across more than 1 lakh schools within six months of launching the drive, benefiting around 1.2 crore school children, according to an official statement issued on Tuesday. The mission mode MBU drive has been underway for six months. UIDAI has made biometric updates in Aadhaar for children in the 7–15 age group free of cost for one year, starting October 1, 2025.
Over 1 lakh schools covered nationwide
“In a milestone achievement, UIDAI has saturated more than 1,03,000 schools across India and helped millions of students complete their mandatory biometric update in Aadhaar at the ease and comfort of their school campuses,” the statement said.
So far, the exercise has enabled around 1.2 crore students to complete their MBU within their school premises. In addition to school camps, children can also complete their updates by visiting any Aadhaar enrolment centre or Aadhaar Seva Kendra across the country.
Integration with UDISE+ boosts monitoring
UIDAI rolled out the mission mode MBU drive for school children in September 2025 after successful technological integration with the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) application of the Union Department of School Education & Literacy.
This integration enabled authorities to track the MBU status of students, identify those due for updates, and organise camps at schools to complete the process efficiently.
At least 4,000 machines are currently being used to carry out the exercise, and UIDAI is in the process of increasing this number to accelerate the drive.
Why biometric updates are important
Updating children’s biometrics in Aadhaar is essential for authentication while availing benefits under various government schemes and scholarships, wherever applicable. It is also required for registration in competitive and university examinations such as NEET, JEE and CUET.
Children below the age of five can enrol for Aadhaar by providing demographic details and a photograph, as fingerprints and iris biometrics are not captured at that stage due to immature biometric indicators.
Therefore, providing fingerprints and iris information through the MBU process after crossing the ages of 5 and 15 years is a mandatory requirement for children.
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