Which among the following states became the first in the country to introduce Aadhaar-based face authentication (FaceAuth)? 

Himachal Pradesh became the first state in the country to introduce Aadhaar-based face authentication (FaceAuth). • FaceAuth is introduced for the distribution of ration to eligible beneficiaries under the Public Distribution System (PDS).  • Until now, authentication was carried out using either OTP-based or biometric methods. ƒ However, frequent challenges such as SMS delivery failures and biometric mismatches at the UIDAI end were causing inconvenience to the beneficiaries.  • With the launch of the FaceAuth mechanism, the process has now been streamlined and made more accessible.