The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched the Scheme for Innovation and Technology Association with Aadhaar (SITAA) — a pioneering initiative aimed at bolstering Aadhaar’s AI-powered biometric security against deepfakes, spoofing, and digital fraud. The programme invites startups, academia, and industry innovators to co-develop advanced technologies that enhance the security, scalability, and trust of India’s digital identity ecosystem.
Under SITAA, UIDAI aims to foster indigenous AI innovation through pilot challenges focused on deepfake detection, face liveness verification, and contactless fingerprint authentication. These AI-based solutions will help create a more resilient and future-ready Aadhaar infrastructure capable of countering evolving cybersecurity and identity theft threats.
UIDAI has partnered with the MeitY Startup Hub (MSH) and NASSCOM as strategic enablers for SITAA. MSH will provide incubation, mentorship, and accelerator support for participating startups, while NASSCOM will drive industry collaboration, policy alignment, and global outreach.
Applications for the SITAA pilot challenges are open until 15 November 2025, and submissions are encouraged from innovators working on AI, deep learning, and biometric authentication technologies. UIDAI emphasized that the initiative reflects India’s commitment to building a secure, inclusive, and self-reliant digital identity ecosystem, aligned with national missions like Digital Public Infrastructure and Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Through SITAA, UIDAI seeks to lead the global fight against AI-enabled identity fraud, empowering India to set new benchmarks in AI security, privacy protection, and biometric innovation for the digital future.
