UIDAI asks for fresh ID to delink Aadhaar
CLEARING THE AIR Says mobile numbers won’t be deactivated
NEWDELHI: Customers who wish to delink Aadhaar from their mobile phone connections can do so by submitting fresh identification proof, and a new know-yourcustomer (KYC) process is being devised, the department of telecommunication (DoT) and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) said in a joint statement on Thursday, describing as “completely untrue and imaginary” reports that 500 million mobile connections obtained using Aadhaar electronic-KYC would be deactivated.
“The Honourable Supreme Court in its judgement in Aadhaar case has nowhere directed that the mobile number which has been issued through Aadhaar eKYC has to be disconnected. Therefore, there is absolutely no reason for panic or fear at all,” said the joint statement. “There is no direction to deactivate the old mobile phones,” it added.
For the first time after the SC’s judgment on the constitutional validity of Aadhaar last month — it upheld the validity of the unique ID but said that without adequate legislation, it could not be used by private companies (including telcos) — the government has said that customers can ask mobile phone operators to delink the unique ID from their mobile connection.
“If anybody wishes to get her/ his Aadhaar eKYC replaced by the fresh KYC, s/he may request the service provider for delinking of her/his Aadhaar by submitting fresh OVDs as per earlier DoT Circulars on mobile KYC. But in any case her/his mobile number will not be disconnected,” the statement said.
UIDAI and DoT have also said for the first time that they are in the devising an alternative KYC mechanism to issue new SIM cards. “In the proposed process, live photograph of the person with latitude, longitude, and time stamp will be captured. The photo of her ID such as Aadhaar card, voter ID, etc., will be captured. The SIM card agent will be authenticated through OTP (onetime password) and SIM card will be issued. This process will be completely hassle-free and digital,” the statement said.
That would work to the telcos’ benefit, an expert said.
“I think the telcos would certainly love that. They were a major beneficiary of the Aadhaar-based e-KYC. It enabled them to do their verification fast, efficiently and at a relatively low cost. They certainly would like a solution that’s not as expensive as paper-based verification,” said Mahesh Uppal, a telecom consultant and director at ComFirst India, a telecommunications advisory firm. He added that the new form of verification must be acceptable to the authorities, more than the telcos, as it is a matter of security. “Telcos would be very relieved if a digital appbased verification is acceptable to the authorities.”
“We have recommended the alternative to the Aadhaar-based verification to the DoT. They are viewing it and hopefully they will approve it. But at the moment, we are reverting to the manual process. We support the Aadhaarbased process as the most secure and convenient method for customers, so if the DoT can find a way to get that to come back, that would be the best,” said Rajan Mathews, director general of Cellular Operators Association of India, an association of mobile service providers.
The statement also stressed the fact that the SC asked the UIDAI, and not telecom companies, to delete authentication logs. “The restriction of not keeping authentication log beyond six months is on UIDAI and not on the telecom companies. Therefore, there is no need for telecom companies or AUAs/KUAs to delete authentication logs at their end. They are in fact required to keep authentication logs at their end as per Aadhaar regulations to resolves any consumer grievances,” it said.
AUAs and KUAs are authentication user agencies and KYC user agencies, entities that are allowed to perform authentication and the KYC processes by UIDAI. “There is no question of delinking Aadhaar en-masse. Delinking will be done only on the customer’s request,” Mathews said, allaying speculation that delinking of Aadhaar data will cause millions of mobile phone connections to go inactive.
In a separate statement, UIDAI also clarified the position on the Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS)
After the SC verdict barring private companies from using Aadhaar, there was uncertainty whether AePS could continue, as recipients of direct benefit transfer have to link their Aadhaar number with bank accounts. With the SC upholding that the government can mandate Aadhaar for subsidies and welfare schemes, UIDAI has instructed banks to continue the facility. Beneficiaries can withdraw their money through Aadhaar-based micro-ATMs using the AePS, which often eases the need to travel long distances to bank branches, in remote villages.