An additional layer of identification check was introduced in nearly a dozen centres in New Delhi during the NEET-UG exam on Sunday, May 4.

A Proof of Concept (PoC) on face authentication was successfully carried out on thousands of students who appeared for the exam by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), stated a report by The New Indian Express.

A government source said that the checks were held at multiple centres including those in Janakpuri, Rohini, Mayur Vihar, Preet Vihar and RK Puram.

An official release said, "This initiative was carried out in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the National Testing Agency (NTA), marking a significant step towards enhancing exam security and candidate verification processes using advanced biometric technology."

The PoC was aimed at evaluating the feasibility and effectiveness of Aadhaar-based face authentication as a means of verifying the identity of candidates, it said, according to the report by The New Indian Express.

During the PoC, Aadhaar Face Authentication technology was deployed at select NEET centres in Delhi, and was integrated seamlessly with NIC's digital infrastructure, and NTA's examination protocols.

The face authentication was performed in real-time, using Aadhaar's biometric database, making the process contactless and more streamlined. The results of the PoC showed a very high level of accuracy and efficiency in candidate verification.