Aadhaar gets a face: UIDAI launches Aadhaar mascot Udai (उदय)

• UIDAI launched Udai (उदय), the official Aadhaar mascot, on 8 January 2026 as a resident-facing communication companion to humanise Aadhaar messaging.
• Selected via a national MyGov competition drawing 875 entries; design winner Arun Gokul (Thrissur, Kerala), name winner Riya Jain (Bhopal).
• UPSC relevance: convergence of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), citizen-centric governance communication, and statutory identity ecosystem under the Aadhaar Act, 2016.