The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has made allocation of all new UANs (universal account numbers) and their activation fully digital from the start of this month.
And, more importantly, employees themselves would be able to generate their UANs.
Using the Umang (Universal Mobile Application for New-age Governance) app and facial authentication technology via the Aadhaar Face RD app, EPFO subscribers will be able to generate UANs.
Three processes are facilitated with the new digital authentication feature. New users can generate and activate their UAN, existing users with an UAN can activate the number, and facial authentication of already-activated UAN numbers is made possible.
Read on for details on how to make use of these features with the two apps.
UMANG AND AADHAAR RD
To be sure, the Umang app isn’t something that is new or conceived recently. The Umang app has been around from 2017 as a digital interface to make the services of various Central and State government departments available to citizens.
Umang has as many as 8.79 crore registrations offering the services of 80 Central and 160 State departments or entities. As many as 876 Central government services and 1463 State government services are available to citizens.
Some of the more popular services via the Umang app include EPFO facilities (balance check, transfers, download of UAN cards), utility bill payment, Aadhaar (view, download), digilocker and pension services among many others.
The Aadhaar RD (Registered Device) App is a background application. It is not a standalone application, but works with other Aadhaar authentication agencies’ apps to verify a user’s identify through facial recognition. You do not get to open this app directly on your mobile. An authorised agency’s app -Umang, in this case – triggers it when facial authentication and identity verification are required.
USING APPS FOR UAN
Before starting off on using the Umang app for your UAN, you mush have your Aadhaar and mobile number linked for receiving a one-time password (OTP). Install the Aadhaar RD app as well. Both Umang and Aadhaar RD are available on Google play store and Apple app store.
For new UAN allotment and activation, you need to follow the below process. First, open the Umang app and navigate to the ‘UAN allotment and activation’ section.
Then, enter your Aadhaar and mobile numbers in the respective boxes. You can then check the consent checkbox for Aadhaar validation.
Once these steps are done , proceed to click on the sent OTP prompt. If you already have the Aadhaar RD app (the system would prompt for installation if not already done), it will open and you can enter the OTP sent to your mobile. Once this is done, the system checks to see if the Aadhaar is already linked to a UAN.
If that is the case, you will receive a notification. In case it is not UAN-linked, you could proceed to the facial authentication part.
Check the consent box and click the ‘face authentication’ part. The system will then carry out a face scan. Once the face scan is done, the system will generate a new UAN. This UAN is sent to your registered mobile device via an SMS.
Further, you can take a printout of the e-UAN from the Umang app and give it to your employer for reference, so that EPFO onboarding is smooth.
AUTHENTICATION
For EPFO subscribers who have a UAN but are yet to activate it, the process is mostly similar to the earlier one. Once you enter the Umang app, you need to select the ‘UAN activation’ button. After you enter your UAN, Aadhaar, mobile and give consent for Aadhaar validation, the steps are the same till facial recognition.
After this process is completed, you will get the UAN and temporary password via SMS. The system also updates your photo and address in the EPFO database.
Finally, users who already have activated UANs and need to complete only the facial authentication, can do so by following very simple steps.
Open Umang and click on the ‘face authentication of already activated UAN’ option. Then, after you finish the facial authentication, the system will get your UAN, mobile and Aadhaar. EPFO database is updated with verified details.
If you face any issues while using the Umang app, you can call the help desk that’s available in-app.
Source: businessline
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