48 minutes ago
2
Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) recently announced it has added support for Aadhaar Verifiable Credentials, allowing residents to store and present their Aadhaar ID directly in Google Wallet. In other news, India scales farmer ID system for payments with support from accounting firm KPMG.
Google supports India’s Aadhaar verifiable credentials
As of April 28, users of the digital Aadhaar in India can now store and present their credentials directly through Google Wallet, Google announced in a blog post.
The rollout is part of the tech giant’s partnership with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). With this collaboration, users can now use their Aadhaar Verifiable Credentials to verify identity across partners such as PVR INOX, BharatMatrimony, Atlys, Mygate, and Snabbit.
Google said the feature is built to provide users a secure and private way to verify their identity.
“For these credentials to be truly useful, they need to be secure, private and effective across both physical and digital spaces. That’s why we focus on building digital IDs based on global standards with advanced privacy features like selective disclosure, where only the relevant details of a person’s ID are shared when required, ensuring everyone has a safe way to manage their identity,” the tech giant said.
The Aadhaar-Google Wallet integration is based on global standards such as ISO/IEC 18013-5 and the W3C Digital Credentials API, enabling secure, interoperable digital identity verification. Earlier this year, the UIDAI introduced the Aadhaar Verifiable Credential, an offline verification protocol. It had already improved its app months before the new features were announced, to include other Google offerings.
Google has also expanded its digital ID capabilities to countries like Singapore, Taiwan, and Brazil, which can now create ID pass—a secure digital ID based on their passport information—and save it in the Google Wallet app.
Indian farmers can now use their ID for digital payments thanks to KPMG
India is scaling its farmer ID system with support from KPMG to transform agriculture subsidies and payments and advance the country’s Digital Agriculture Mission by building digital public infrastructure that enables direct benefit transfer (DBT) payments.
The initiative, which started in 2024, centers on “AgriStack,” a unified digital infrastructure that assigns farmers a unique ID linked to Aadhaar for streamlined identity verification.
A recent post by KMPG explained that over 12.75 crore or 127.5 million farmers have already been onboarded, enabling India to deliver over INR 2 lakh crore (over $21 billion) in payments through direct benefit transfers. The organization added that it adopted an approach that allows Aadhaar-based eKYC and UIDAI integration with income tax and other databases, making it easier to flag farmers ineligible for benefits. At the time of writing, the KPMG said it helped reclaim INR 296 crore (US$37.7 million).
“KPMG in India worked with government stakeholders to reimagine the programme’s operating mode for better accuracy, scalability, and continuity even during peak demand periods,” it said in its case study.
The digital operating model, KPMG said, is designed as a cloud-based architecture (PM-KISAN 2.0). This model allows the system to handle peak loads and ensure seamless integration across beneficiary touchpoints.
Most importantly, it established a system to streamline the handling of complaints and grievances, ensuring uninterrupted services, particularly during events like the coronavirus pandemic.
Watch: Digital identity is a core part of Web3—here’s why
English (US) · 