Keir Starmer landed in Mumbai on Tuesday to study India’s Aadhaar system as his government plans to roll out a nationwide digital ID in the UK.
The first stop was a meeting with Nandan Nilekani, co‑founder of Infosys and former chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Downing Street said the discussion was simply about learning how India created one of the world’s largest digital identity programs – not a commercial deal with Infosys.
Starmer has long praised Aadhaar as a success story. “We are going to a country, India, where they’ve already done ID and made a massive success of it,” he told reporters before heading to Mumbai. He hopes a centralised ID can cut red tape for UK citizens, making it easier to apply for schools, childcare and public services.
In a last‑month announcement, the UK government said that digital ID cards would soon become mandatory for British citizens and permanent residents looking for work. However, the new system will not use biometric data at this stage, a spokesperson confirmed. This is a sharp contrast to India’s Aadhaar, which relies on fingerprints and iris scans. Britain hasn’t had compulsory identity cards since World War II, and former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s biometric ID plan was scrapped after a public backlash.
While Starmer studied AI and the digital ID, he also met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders talked about deepening trade and economic ties, aiming to create more jobs and boost investment between the two countries. A joint statement highlighted several new initiatives:
* A shared AI centre and an India‑UK connectivity and innovation hub
* A critical minerals guild to support supply chains and green technology
* New partnerships on renewable energy, health research, and offshore wind
* A joint climate‑technology startup fund
These agreements are expected to speed up UK‑India trade, help UK universities open campuses in India, and strengthen collaboration on cutting‑edge technologies that support equitable growth and national security.
By looking to India’s Aadhaar model and building new economic bridges, the UK and India aim to modernise identity verification and boost bilateral cooperation in technology, trade and green energy.
Source: ianslive
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