New Delhi | The Unique Identification Authority of India has launched a people-friendly mascot named Udai to simplify communication for public understanding of Aadhaar services, an official statement said on Thursday.
The mascot has been selected from various entries received through a national design and name competition on the MyGov platform.
"The UIDAI today launched the Aadhaar mascot, a new resident-facing communication companion to simplify public understanding of Aadhaar services. The Aadhaar mascot named Udai will be helpful in making Aadhaar-related information more relatable and people-friendly," the statement said.
The mascot is expected to simplify communication on Aadhaar services, including those related to updates, authentication, offline verification, selective sharing of information, new technology adoption, and responsible usage, among others.
UIDAI Chairman Neelkanth Mishra unveiled the mascot and felicitated the winners at a function in Thiruvananthapuram.
Mishra said the launch of the mascot marks another step in UIDAI's ongoing efforts to make Aadhaar communication simpler, more inclusive, and more relatable for over a billion residents of India.
While launching the mascot, UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar said that by inviting people to design and name this mascot through an open national competition, UIDAI reaffirmed a core principle of Aadhaar -- participation builds trust and acceptance.
UIDAI received 875 entries from across the country – students, professionals, and designers, etc., each offering a unique interpretation of what Aadhaar represents to them.
Arun Gokul from Thrissur, Kerala, bagged the first prize in the mascot design competition. Idris Dawaiwala of Pune, Maharashtra, and Krishna Sharma from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh were the second and third prize winners, respectively.
Riya Jain of Bhopal won the first prize in the mascot name competition, followed by Idris Dawaiwala of Pune and Maharaj Saran Chellapilla of Hyderabad in second and third position, respectively, the statement said.
