Daijiworld Media Network - Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 9: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Friday unveiled a resident-facing Aadhaar mascot named ‘Udai’ to make communication simpler and enhance public understanding of Aadhaar services.

UIDAI said the mascot will act as a relatable communication companion, helping citizens navigate Aadhaar-related aspects such as updates, authentication, offline verification, selective sharing of information, technology upgrades and responsible usage.

The mascot and its name were chosen through open national competitions held on the MyGov platform, which drew 875 entries from students, professionals and designers across the country. A multi-tier evaluation process was adopted to finalise the winners.

Arun Gokul from Thrissur, Kerala won the first prize in the mascot design category, while Idris Dawaiwala of Pune and Krishna Sharma from Ghazipur secured the second and third prizes respectively. In the naming category, Riya Jain from Bhopal won the first 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 here, where the winners were also felicitated. Mishra said the initiative was part of UIDAI’s efforts to make Aadhaar communication “simpler, more inclusive and more relatable” for over a billion residents.

UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar said the open competition reaffirmed Aadhaar’s core principle that participation builds trust and acceptance, adding that the strong response reflected Aadhaar’s status as a widely accepted public good.

UIDAI Deputy Director General Vivek C. Verma said Udai will serve as a companion and narrator, helping residents connect more easily with Aadhaar-related information. The launch is part of UIDAI’s broader push to promote user awareness, responsible adoption and citizen-friendly communication around Aadhaar services.