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print versionAadhaar is a legal right, but the government can suspend a citizen’s number without prior notice
Over 85 lakh numbers have been deactivated since 2010, without notice and in the absence of proper grievance redressal
by Anumeha Yadav (scroll.in)
[excerpt]
[ . . . ] Aadhaar, the biometrics-based unique identity number all Indian residents are entitled to, is being made mandatory for access to a wide range of government services. On Wednesday, the government proposed to make it mandatory for income tax filings from July. Last month, the government notified that Aadhaar, or at least proof of enrolment in Aadhaar, was mandatory for several vulnerable groups – including women rescued from trafficking, workers engaged in forced labour, schoolchildren between six and 14 years of age, and people with disabilities – to continue to receive government benefits. In the case of the schoolchildren, for instance, they will not be served mid-day meals from June if they cannot present their Aadhaar credentials.The notifications state that the use of Aadhaar as a document of identification will bring in “transparency and efficiency†. But they, and the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, fail to specify what protection individuals will be accorded in the instance of their Aadhaar numbers being deactivated – which the Unique Identification Authority of India is authorised to carry out and has been doing in large numbers. [ . . . ]
