Aadhaar provides identification to more than 1.2 billion Indian residents. Its scale, ability to uniquely identify individuals, and digital interface make it a compelling identification platform. These same features also raise questions about privacy, data security, and exclusion. The current debate on Aadhaar has been binary in nature: either Aadhaar should be jettisoned or scaled aggressively. However, the facts on the ground as revealed by our three-state survey on Aadhaar, the largest to date support a more nuanced approach. In this Tiffin Talks @ Brookings India seminar, the lead authors of the State of Aadhaar Report, shared key insights from their primary research; this was followed by a discussion on the policy implications of the report’s findings.

Speakers: Ronald Abraham and Elizabeth Bennett, IDInsight (lead authors of the State of Aadhaar Report 2017-18)

Speaker Profiles: Ronald Abraham is a Partner at IDinsight and leads their State of Aadhaar initiative, which seeks to provide a platform for data-driven discourse and policymaking in the Aadhaar ecosystem. He also leads IDinsight’s unit at NITI Aayog supporting the Aspirational Districts initiative. Previously, Abraham worked with Pratham on the Annual Status of Education Report and as their lead for a statewide learning program in Punjab. He holds a BA (Hons.) in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, and an MPA in International Development (MPA/ID) from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Elizabeth Bennett is a Senior Manager at IDinsight, based in New Delhi. She brings experience in entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and community development. Prior to joining IDinsight, she served as the Training Manager and Assistant Director of Microcredit for a small non-profit based in South Africa. She has also consulted with the Government of Rwanda on issues of capacity building for civil servants. Bennett holds bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University and a master’s degree in Public Policy (MPP) from the Harvard Kennedy School.

This event was under Chatham House rules.