Govt exploring mechanism for those who do not want to link Aadhaar with mobile number

The government is exploring a mechanism for people who do not have an Aadhaar number and those who have an Aadhaar number but do not want to share it for re-verification with telecom operators, sources said.

“We will take a call on people who have Aadhaar but do not want to share or link it with telecom service providers (TSPs) for their mobile number. There is no particular timeframe, as we will also have to see what the Supreme Court is saying. The whole idea is to facilitate citizens and not create more problems,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity.

For those who do not have Aadhaar yet, the government is also ready to examine and put in place necessary mechanisms. But, it must be in conformity with the mandate laid down by the Supreme Court and cannot dilute the process already laid in the rules.

Meanwhile, the Department of Telecom (DoT) has introduced three new methods to link the registered mobile number with Aadhaar — One Time Password (OTP)-based, app-based and the IVRS facility.

These new methods will help subscribers get their mobile number linked to Aadhaar without visiting the stores of the TSPs, Speaking on the development, Manoj Sinha, Minister of State (independent charge), Ministry of Communications, said for the ease of senior citizens and the people with disability and chronic illness, DoT has also recommended re-verification at the subscribers’ doorstep. According to the new guidelines, telecom operators should provide an online mechanism for people to request such service and based on availability, schedule the visit and complete the process.

When asked about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee saying she will not comply with it even if her phone connection is snapped, Sinha said: “Our department is not made to disconnect anybody’s mobile number…we want more and more people get the benefits of mobile services. This process (linking Aadhaar) is conducted to ensure that mobile number is not used for fraudulent purposes.”

The government also clarified that those TSPs who are taking biometrics/ iris scan at their kiosks, are not collecting data but are just authenticating the number.

“Biometrics cannot be collected, cannot be stored by them,” Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, DoT, said adding that this whole process would be only for the mobile numbers, not for other services like payment banks or DTH services, provided by the same company.

“In the instructions that we have issued to the TSPs, we have clearly said that any bundling of this with any other kind of service offering – giving a bank account or taking these details for anything else, will not be allowed. We have issued a circular on this in black and white (to all the TSPs). The biometrics are only for re-verifications of the mobile numbers,” she added.

Meanwhile, the deadline for mandatory linking of Aadhaar to avail the benefits of various government schemes has been extended till March 31, for those who do not have the 12-digit biometric identification number, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

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