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Timeline · India · 12 events

Digital India: from Aadhaar to UPI

How India built its digital public infrastructure — identity, bank accounts and instant payments — and the laws and judgments that shaped it.

  1. 28 January 2009
    UIDAI is set up

    The Unique Identification Authority of India is created to give every resident a unique number.

  2. 29 September 2010
    The first Aadhaar numbers

    The first Aadhaar numbers are issued in Tembhli village, Maharashtra.

  3. 28 August 2014
    Jan Dhan accounts

    The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana is launched to give every household a bank account.

  4. 1 July 2015
    Digital India

    The government launches the Digital India programme.

  5. March 2016
    The Aadhaar Act

    Parliament passes the Aadhaar Act, giving the identity number a law of its own.

  6. April 2016
    UPI is launched

    The National Payments Corporation of India launches the Unified Payments Interface; banks’ UPI apps open to the public in August.

  7. 8 November 2016
    Demonetisation

    ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes are withdrawn overnight, and digital payments surge.

  8. 24 August 2017
    Privacy is a fundamental right

    A nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court rules unanimously in the Puttaswamy case that privacy is a fundamental right.

  9. 26 September 2018
    Aadhaar upheld, with limits

    The Supreme Court upholds the Aadhaar Act but strikes down the provision that let private companies demand Aadhaar.

  10. 25 February 2021
    Rules for platforms and digital news

    The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules are notified, including a code of ethics and grievance system for digital news publishers.

  11. 11 August 2023
    A data protection law

    The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 receives the President’s assent.

  12. November 2025
    The data protection rules

    The government notifies the rules under the data protection law, with most duties for businesses phased in over the following months.

Sources

  1. Unique Identification Authority of India
  2. National Payments Corporation of India
  3. Supreme Court of India
  4. Ministry of Electronics and IT