UIDAI launches Aadhaar mascot ‘Udai’ to simplify public communication

New Delhi, Jan 8: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Thursday launched Udai, the Aadhaar mascot, aimed at making communication on Aadhaar services simpler and more people-friendly. The mascot will serve as a resident-facing communication companion to help explain Aadhaar-related services such as updates, authentication, offline verification, selective data sharing, adoption of new technologies and responsible usage.

UIDAI said the mascot was selected through an open and inclusive national design and naming competition hosted on the MyGov platform. The initiative received 875 entries from across the country, including students, professionals, and designers. A multi-stage evaluation process was followed to ensure fairness in the selection.

Arun Gokul from Thrissur, Kerala, won the first prize in the mascot design competition, while Idris Dawaiwala of Pune, Maharashtra, and Krishna Sharma from Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, secured the second and third prizes, respectively. In the mascot naming competition, Riya Jain from Bhopal won the top prize, followed by Idris Dawaiwala of Pune and Maharaj Saran Chellapilla of Hyderabad. The mascot was unveiled by UIDAI Chairman Neelkanth Mishra at a function in Thiruvananthapuram, where the winners were also felicitated. Mishra said the launch marked another step towards making Aadhaar communication more inclusive and relatable for over a billion residents. UIDAI Chief Executive Officer Bhuvnesh Kumar said the open competition reflected Aadhaar’s core principle that public participation builds trust and acceptance. Deputy Director General Vivek C. Verma added that the mascot would help residents engage with Aadhaar-related information more easily.