Parliament Question: APAAR ID and digital empowerment

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4177 ANSWERED ON 01/04/2026 APAAR ID and digital empowerment 4177 Shri Lahar Singh Siroya:

Dr. K. Laxman:

Smt. Kiran Choudhry:

Dr. Medha Vishram Kulkarni:

Shri Sadanand Mhalu Shet Tanavade:

Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state:

(a) the number of Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) IDs successfully generated for students as of March, 2026;

(b) how the integration of APAAR with DigiLocker has improved the seamless transfer of academic credits between institutions;

(c) what specific measures ensure parental consent and data privacy during the 12-digit student ID registration process;

(d) whether the Ministry has successfully made APAAR IDs mandatory for appearing in the 2026 Board Examinations;

(e) if so, the details thereof; and

(f) how many schools have updated student demographic details on the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) portal to facilitate error-free ID creation? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) to (f): The Ministry of Education has launched the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) Scheme on 29th July 2021 to create a unique id for seamless interaction amongst the stakeholders of the education ecosystem in alignment with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and One Nation One Student ID Programme. As of 30th March 2026, a total of 24.25 crore APAAR IDs have been generated across various education sectors, including School, Higher and Skill Education.

The integration of APAAR with DigiLocker has enabled a seamless and secure digital ecosystem for storing and accessing academic records. It facilitates easy access to verified academic documents, ensures the streamlined transfer of academic credits across institutions and reduces administrative delays as well as duplication of records.The generation of APAAR ID is voluntary in nature and is based on informed consent of the student/parent/guardian. As per the guidelines available on the APAAR Portal, explicit consent is required prior to creation of an APAAR ID. Data Security and Privacy guidelines prescribed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) have been followed to ensure safety and privacy of data.

The Ministry has not mandated APAAR ID for appearing in the Board Examinations and is also not excluding any child from its examinations due to the lack of APAAR ID.

All approved schools on UDISE+ platform have been given a provision to update student demographic data on a regular basis. ****