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The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Thursday launched the Aadhaar mascot, 'Udai', as a new resident-facing communication companion designed to simplify public understanding of various Aadhaar services.
According to a Ministry of Electronics & IT press release, the initiative is aimed to make information regarding updates, authentication, offline verification, and new technology adoption more relatable and people-friendly for residents. The mascot serves as a tool to bridge the communication gap by simplifying complex processes such as selective sharing of information and responsible usage, it said. The creation of the mascot followed an inclusive approach, where UIDAI invited the public to participate through national design and name competitions hosted on the MyGov platform. The agency received 875 entries from a diverse group of participants, including students, professionals, and designers from across the country. Neelkanth Mishra, Chairman of UIDAI, unveiled the mascot and felicitated the winners during a function held in Thiruvananthapuram. Mishra stated that the launch of the mascot marks another step in UIDAI's ongoing efforts to make Aadhaar communication simpler, more inclusive, and more relatable for over a billion residents of India. He noted that the final creation emerged from a multi-tier evaluation process that ensured rigour and fairness in selecting a mascot shaped by public imagination and refined through institutional diligence. The competition results highlighted talent from various regions of the country. Arun Gokul from Thrissur, Kerala, secured the first prize in the mascot design category, while Idris Dawaiwala of Pune and Krishna Sharma from Ghazipur took the second and third prizes, respectively. In the naming competition, Riya Jain of Bhopal bagged the top honour. She was followed by Idris Dawaiwala of Pune and Maharaj Saran Chellapilla of Hyderabad in the subsequent positions. Bhuvnesh Kumar, CEO of UIDAI, remarked that by inviting people to design and name this mascot through an open national competition, "UIDAI reaffirmed a core principle of Aadhaar: participation builds trust and acceptance." He observed that the overwhelming response demonstrated how deeply people connect with Aadhaar as a public good. Vivek C Verma, Deputy Director General, UIDAI, said that as the mascot begins its journey as a companion and a narrator, it will help residents connect with Aadhaar-related information with ease. (ANI)
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