Aadhar Authentication: The central government has allowed the National Recruitment Agency (NRA) to conduct Aadhaar-based identity verification voluntarily. This permission has been given for various stakeholders, including candidates aspiring for government jobs and officials associated with public examinations.

NRA is a multi-agency body, which was approved by the Union Cabinet in August 2020. Its function is to conduct the Common Eligibility Test (CET) for Group B and Group C posts, which is a computer-based online examination. Its purpose is to shortlist candidates for government recruitments.

According to the notification issued by the Ministry of Personnel, the NRA has been allowed Aadhaar-based identification. This process will be voluntary and can use the facility of Yes/No authentication or e-KYC. It will be used to establish the identity of candidates, officials associated with the examination, and other stakeholders at various stages of registration and examination on the NRA portal.

The agency will have to follow all the relevant provisions of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, while doing this work. Along with this, it will also be necessary to follow Rule No. 5 of the Aadhaar Authentication Rules, 2020 for Good Governance, and the guidelines issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). This information was given in the notification dated May 15.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha last year, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh had informed that the NRA is currently conducting a detailed study of the recruitment systems prevalent in the central and state governments, so that a fair and transparent examination system can be created.

He gave this answer in the Rajya Sabha on July 25, 2024, in response to a question whether the NRA has conducted any examination so far since its formation.

The minister said, "NRA is studying the process followed by various examination agencies (Public Examination Authorities – PEAs) of the country to conduct the examination. Also, it is looking at what problems can arise in the new examination system and how they can be resolved from the beginning, so that the examination is fair." The minister also informed that the NRA is developing various policies and protocols to properly resolve the problems related to the new examination system and ensure compliance with the standards and guidelines set by all agencies. Earlier, the central government had also allowed Aadhaar authentication voluntarily to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Staff Selection Commission (SSC). This verification is done to ensure the identity of the candidates at the time of registration and other stages of the examination.

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