December 1, 2016: "India's unique identification programme Aadhaar is a critical step in enabling fairer access to government services and has "tremendous potential" for fostering inclusion," according to a UN report.

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The 2016 Report on the World Social Situation, released by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said, "The decision of India in 2010 to launch the Aadhaar programme to enrol the biometric identifying data of all its 1.2 billion citizens was a critical step in enabling fairer access of the people to government benefits and services."

The report, released on Wednesday said that the programmes such as Aadhaar have "tremendous potential to foster inclusion" by giving all people, which includes the poorest and most marginalised, an official identity.

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"Fair and robust systems of legal identity and birth registration are recognised in the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as an important foundation for promoting inclusive societies," it said.

More than 108.27 crore Aadhaar numbers has already been issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to the residents of India.

The report includes, " Key new findings about persisting inequalities in education and economic opportunity and, challenges the international community to work harder to break down barriers to participation."

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It said, around 40 per cent of the world's population does not have access to education in a language they understand.

It further added that the children of ethnic minorities and disabled people are much less likely to finish their primary and secondary educations, it added.

by NewsGram team with PTI inputs