Policy Watch: Aadhaar Success In Facial Scans, Pvt TRP Players, R&D Corpus

Mindboggling Aadhaar Authentication Numbers For June 2025

Aadhaar has been perceived as the bedrock of India’s digital future. The digital identification scheme is living up to that expectation. Records have been shattered in the month of June, when Aadhaar experienced nearly 230 crore authentication transactions.

This is a 7.8 per cent growth over last year’s June figure, outpacing even the May 2025 tally. The total cumulative count of Aadhaar authentication, since its inception, has now crossed 15,452 crore.

Is it a cause for celebration? Of course, because Aadhaar embodies the ongoing digital revolution that powers better welfare delivery and seamless access to services across the nation.

If one has to pick up one outstanding aspect of Aadhaar, it has to be facial authentication. From opening bank accounts to getting entry into airports through Digi Yatra, Aadhaar's facial authentication has been the game changer.

In June 2025, there were 15.87 crore facial authentication transactions, which is more than three times the June 2024 figure of 4.61 crore. Almost 175 crore Aadhaar-based facial scans have gone through the system since its inception.

Almost all major economic agencies in the economy, including ministries, banks, PSUs, and telecom behemoths, are utilising this faster, frictionless and futuristic feature of Aadhaar for confirming identities.

No wonder, the number of e-KYC authentications through Aadhaar in June 2025 was an eye-popping 39.47 crore. Customer onboarding for banks, NBFCs and telecom companies has never been this easier.

Strengthening the Aadhaar infrastructure will continue to enhance ease of living and doing business in India.

Sweeping Reform In Broadcasting TRP Market Proposed

The government has just made a move to alter the prevailing game of TRP (Television Rating Points) for India's broadcast media. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has started the process of ending the existing monopoly of the Broadcasting Audience Research Council (BARC), by proposing to introduce competition in the TV ratings market.

The Ministry has proposed amendments to the Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies, originally issued in 2014. The proposed draft, released on July 2, 2025, “removes some restrictive provisions for media houses to allow more players besides the current BARC to democratise and modernise the television audience measurement ecosystem in India.”

Feedback has been sought from stakeholders and the public within 30 days. The reform proposals aim to introduce fair competition, generate more accurate and representative data, and ensure that the TRP system reflects the diversity and evolution of media consumption habits across the country.

Compared to the gigantic number of TV-owning households in the country (230 million), the number of meters currently in use is a paltry 58,000. These meters capture a mere 0.025 per cent of the total audience. That's like trying to predict the onset of the monsoons from a single raindrop.

Moreover, the existing system completely ignores new-age devices, including mobile apps, smart TVs, and streaming sticks. The draft proposes the entry of multiple agencies other than BARC, ushering in competition and cutting-edge technology.

The TRP system determines crores of rupees in ad revenue, the fate of news channels and TV shows, and the very future of Indian broadcasting. The game is about to change for the better.

Govt Unleashes Rs 1 Lakh Crore R&D Innovation Scheme

India’s innovation landscape is about to change. The Union Cabinet, on July 1, approved the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme with a corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore.

There is a persistent need for R&D across all strata of Indian industry. The government's move aims to nudge the private sector to “scale up research, development, and innovation (RDI) in sunrise domains and other sectors relevant for economic security, strategic purpose, and self-reliance.”

The willing agencies in the private sector no longer have to wait in the wings. The scheme will help them navigate through funding bottlenecks that have long plagued the Indian innovation landscape.

A variety of options will be available — from long-term zero-interest loans to equity options for startups. The scheme will facilitate the setting up of a deep tech Fund of Funds.

The idea is to finance transformative projects at higher levels of Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) and support technology acquisitions, which are critical or of high strategic importance.

The strategic direction for the scheme will be provided by the Governing Board of Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), chaired by the Prime Minister. The guidelines will be approved by the Executive Council (EC) of ANRF.

Then, it will recommend second-level fund managers, and the scope and type of projects in the sunrise sectors. At the next level, an Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) led by the Cabinet Secretary will step in.

The EGoS will give final approvals for scheme changes, sectors, types of projects, and also second-level fund managers. It will periodically review the performance of the RDI scheme. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) will be the nodal department for implementation. 

The funding mechanism will have a two-tiered structure. A Special Purpose Fund (SPF) within the ANRF will act as the custodian of funds at the first level.

At the second level, fund managers will be allocated money from the SPF, mainly in the form of long-term concessional loans. These fund managers will then channelise that funding to R&D projects in the form of long-term loans at low or zero interest rates.

Financing in the form of equity is also part of the options, particularly for startups. Contribution to a deep tech Fund of Funds (FoF) or any other FoF meant for RDI will also be an option.