Guwahati, April 25: A speech and hearing-impaired child missing since November 2023 has been reunited with his family in Assam’s Dhemaji district, thanks to Aadhaar-based biometric identification.
The child, later identified as Ram Bahadur Pradhan, was found alone and disoriented by locals in Duliajan on November 10, 2023. Unable to speak or hear, and with no way to communicate his identity, he was placed in the care of Mrinaljyoti Jyotiniwas Children Home in Dibrugarh district after being handed over to the police.
Efforts to identify the boy through writing and sign language failed. But during one interaction, he pointed to an image of an Aadhaar card — a key moment that led the home’s superintendent to contact the UIDAI Regional Office in Guwahati on April 9, 2025.
Following UIDAI’s guidance, biometric authentication was carried out. When the child’s fingerprints were scanned, a match was found in the Aadhaar database, revealing his name, address, and identity.
With the information confirmed, officials contacted his family, and on April 23, Ram Bahadur was reunited with them — ending months of uncertainty and anxiety.
This case highlights the expanding role of Aadhaar in humanitarian efforts, not just in service delivery but also in restoring identities and reuniting families. UIDAI has urged all parents to enrol their children on Aadhaar early and keep biometric data updated to help in critical situations like this.
