Delhi mulls family ID cards with Aadhaar link, new authority

The Delhi government is considering a proposed law, the Delhi Parivar Pehchan Act, 2026, to create a centralised family database and issue single family identification cards, officials said on Monday. The card would be linked to Aadhaar and issued in the name of the eldest woman member of the family. The government is also examining the creation of a Delhi Parivar Pehchan Authority, likely to be chaired by the chief minister, to oversee the system.

The database would record births, deaths, marriages and address changes, and enable targeted delivery of welfare schemes like Ayushman Bharat and Delhi Lakhpati Bitiya Yojana. The government has studied Haryana's Parivar Pehchan Patra model and visited the state to learn about its mechanisms. The card would be available to all families regardless of income and is not expected to be mandatory at this stage.

Officials stressed the proposal is at the examination stage, and the final structure of the legislation and the card's contours have not been decided. The proposed law may include data security, privacy and access safeguards. Social activist Sunil Kumar Aledia said the government should also consider the digitally illiterate and homeless who may lack proper documents.