Aadhaar linking deadline: UIDAI in talks to extend it beyond March 31

UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) the body in charge of Aadhaar is hitting the headlines almost every day as the linking of the same to mobile number, bank account, etc. has become mandatory. The recent report is that UIDAI might consider extending the mandatory Aadhaar linking deadline pushing it beyond March 31, 2018. The Aadhaar body is claimed to be exploring new security protocols to make the linking process simple.

According to a report by The Economic Times, the top officials at UIDAI will meet RBI and TRAI soon to discuss if there will be a necessity to extend the deadline of linking Aadhaar with other essential services. In the coming weeks, UIDAI will discuss with the government ministries in addition to RBI and TRAI about pushing the deadline beyond March 31.

Changes could be unlikely

The report quotes a top government official stating that there could be no impact on the deadline as it is important to link the Aadhaar number with PAN card and bank accounts according to the Income Tax Act and PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act).

Discussion to happen in the coming weeks

For now, there is no information as to when the UIDAI officials will meet the top officials from other authorities. The reason claims that the discussion might happen in the coming weeks. But it remains unclear if the extension will be done as it was extended from December 31, 2017 to March 31, 2018 already.

More secure options coming up

UIDAI is bringing up new security protocols to enhance the privacy and security of personal information of the Indian citizens. Last week, UIDAI introduced Virtual ID for Aadhaar that is a 16-digit number that can be used instead of the Aadhaar number. Also, yesterday, it announced the facial recognition feature for Aadhaar that will be implemented before July 1, 2018.

For now, it is mandatory to link Aadhaar number to PAN card, bank accounts and mobile numbers before March 31, 2018. Also, people will have to link the Aadhaar number with other schemes such as Post Office deposits, PPF (Public Provide Fund), National Savings Certification scheme, and Kisan Vikas Patra.

It looks like the government will hold meetings with the officials of the telecom department to know whether the companies will need Aadhaar numbers of the subscribers. In the meantime, the telecom operators are coming up with new ways to let users link their Aadhaar and mobile numbers by letting them choose from IVRS, SMS, and phone calls.