UIDAI unveils ‘Udai’: New mascot to simplify Aadhaar communication
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Thiruvananthapuram: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Thursday unveiled its new mascot, ‘Udai,’ a resident-facing communication companion designed to make Aadhaar services more accessible and people-friendly.
The mascot was launched by UIDAI Chairman Neelkanth Mishra at a function in Thiruvananthapuram. The initiative aims to simplify public understanding of various Aadhaar features, including updates, authentication, offline verification, and responsible usage.
The mascot was selected through a national competition hosted on the MyGov platform, which received 875 entries from students, professionals, and designers across India.
Arun Gokul from Thrissur, Kerala, bagged the first prize in the mascot design category. Idris Dawaiwala (Pune) and Krishna Sharma (Ghazipur, UP) secured the second and third positions, respectively.
In the naming competition, Riya Jain from Bhopal won first prize for suggesting the name ‘Udai.’ She was followed by Idris Dawaiwala and Maharaj Saran Chellapilla (Hyderabad).
UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar noted that crowdsourcing the design and name reaffirmed the core principle that participation builds trust. "The overwhelming response demonstrated how deeply people connect with Aadhaar as a public good," Kumar said.
Chairman Neelkanth Mishra added that the launch marks a significant step in UIDAI’s efforts to make communication simpler and more inclusive for India's billion-plus residents. The winners were felicitated during the event in the Kerala capital.
(Inputs from IANS)