AADHAAR MUST FOR DEATH REGISTRATION

The Centre has made furnishing the Aadhaar number mandatory to register all deaths from October 1 this year. The home ministry has said anyone applying for a death certificate from October 1 would have to furnish either the Aadhaar number or the Enrolment ID (EID) number of the deceased, in addition to all other details sought in the application form.

However, in case the applicant is not aware of either the Aadhaar or EID number of the deceased, the concerned person would have to certify that the deceased person did not have an Aaadhar or EID number “to the best of his or her knowledge”.

The Centre has made furnishing the Aadhaar number mandatory to register all deaths from October 1 this year. The home ministry has said anyone applying for a death certificate from October 1 would have to furnish either the Aadhaar number or the Enrolment ID (EID) number of the deceased, in addition to all other details sought in the application form.

MHA officials clarified in case the information given by the applicant in the certificate was found to be incorrect, it would be treated as an offence under the provisions of the Aadhaar Act 2016 and the Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1969.

The applicant too would have to provide his/her Aadhaar number along with that of the spouse or parents of the deceased.

The new regulation will not be applicable to Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and Meghalaya.

A separate date would be announced soon for the notification and rollout of the scheme in these three states. MHA officials said the move would help prevent identity fraud.

A notification issued in this regard by the ministry clearly states the Aadhaar number would help clearly establish the identity of the deceased person for the purpose of registration of death, which in turn will help the applicant get a death certificate.

The office of the registrar-general, which works under the overall administrative control of the home ministry, claimed that providing Aadhaar details would help to a large extent to ensure accuracy of the details furnished either by “relatives or dependants or acquaintances of the deceased person”.

AADHAAR number is not mandatory for booking rail tickets, Union minister of state for railways Rajen Gohain told Rajya Sabha on Friday.