COVID Vaccine: Aadhaar Not Mandatory For Registration On CoWIN, Says Minister

New Delhi: The first phase of COVID-19 vaccination, to inoculate frontline workers, is almost complete in India. The second phase will see those above the age of 50 and in high-risk category getting the jab.

There is still not enough clarity on how the general public will register for the vaccine. It was announced earlier that the CoWIN platform will use Aadhar card for authenticating beneficiaries.

And now, Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey informed members of Lok Sabha that the Aadhaar card is not mandatory for registration on the CoWIN portal, the platform being used for the world’s biggest vaccination drive.

A sum of Rs 58.90 lakh has been incurred on the CoWIN portal, which has been developed by the Union Ministry of Health with support from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), India Office.

On the delicate privacy issue, the minister said: “Privacy impact assessments were carried out for CoWIN portal. For data safety, data is encrypted using a highly secure key, no unauthorised access to database on AWS server is allowed and restricted access to relational database service (to decrease the risk of malicious activities).”

The Co-WIN application follows the privacy policy as stated in the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), he added.

Also Read: COVID Vaccination: CoWIN To Use Aadhar Card For Authenticating Beneficiaries

Also Read: CoWIN Will Be Able To Handle 10 Million COVID Vaccine Shots Daily: Govt Official