Union Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Sunday, June 7, 2026, inaugurated a new Aadhaar Seva Kendra in Dharwad, Karnataka, describing it as a significant step toward bringing advanced digital and secure identity services closer to citizens of the district.

Context

Writing in Kannada, Minister Joshi announced: 'ನಮ್ಮ ಧಾರವಾಡದ ನಾಗರಿಕರ ಸೌಕರ್ಯಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಮಹತ್ವದ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆ!' ('Another important step for the convenience of our Dharwad citizens!'). The new centre, set up in collaboration between UIDAI and Protean e-Gov Technologies Limited, is designed to deliver Aadhaar enrollment, updates, and corrections under one roof with full transparency and reliability.

The centre fills a gap created when an earlier 'one centre per district' policy led to the closure of the Dharwad facility, leaving residents dependent on the centre in neighbouring Hubballi. Joshi wrote a letter to Union Minister of Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw requesting that the Dharwad centre be treated as a special case and reopened. Arvind Bellad, MLA for Hubballi-Dharwad West assembly constituency, had also formally requested Joshi to push for the centre's restoration.

Policy Backdrop

UIDAI, the statutory authority constituted in 2009 to manage India's biometric identity infrastructure, and the Aadhaar Act of 2016 together form the legal and administrative backbone for these service centres. Karnataka had 8 Aadhaar Seva Kendras in its earlier configuration; the central government subsequently expanded the network to 19 centres — one per remaining district — under a district-wise standardisation drive aligned with the broader Digital India framework.

However, since Hubballi and Dharwad form a twin-city district, only the Hubballi centre was retained under the one-per-district rule, leaving Dharwad residents without a local facility. Joshi's intervention secured an exception, making the Dharwad centre the district's second operational node.

Separately, the post notes that the Modi government has decided to provide Aadhaar services free of charge for individuals up to 17 years of age, and Joshi urged all parents to take advantage of this provision.

Stakeholders and Impact

According to Joshi's post, the earlier combined Hubballi-Dharwad Aadhaar centre had served a population base of 10 lakh residents from Hubballi and 3.5 lakh residents from Dharwad. With the new centre operational, Dharwad residents no longer need to travel to Hubballi for Aadhaar-related work. The minister described the benefit as extending to 'lakhs of people of Dharwad district' and to the wider population of North Karnataka.

The inauguration was attended by MLA Arvind Bellad, former MLA Seema Masuti, and municipal council member Shivu Menasinkayyi, among other dignitaries. Joshi thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on behalf of the people of North Karnataka for responding to his request.

What's Next

The Dharwad inauguration is part of a continuing effort to deepen district-level Aadhaar infrastructure across India, reducing citizen travel burdens and improving service reliability. Attention will now turn to whether similar special-case exceptions are considered for other twin cities or densely populated districts where a single centre proves insufficient. The rollout of free Aadhaar services for minors under 17 years is also expected to drive higher footfall at newly opened centres.