Top News

Aadhaar has never been a proof of citizenship. However, various government departments accept it for reserved purposes.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday set aside the Punjab and Haryana High Court order that had accepted Aadhaar card to determine the age of a road accident victim for awarding compensation.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Ujjal Bhuyan said that under Section 94 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, the age of the deceased should be determined from the date of birth given in the school leaving certificate.

The bench said, "We find that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, vide its Office Memorandum dated December 20, 2018 has stated that Aadhaar card may be used to establish identity but it is not a proof of date of birth.

Let us tell you that the government has made it clear. Aadhaar number is not a proof of citizenship or date of birth. Not only this, another clear and prominent disclaimer has now been included in the PDF version of the new Aadhaar card, which states that it is 'proof of identity, not proof of citizenship or date of birth.'

It is worth mentioning that Aadhaar has never been a proof of citizenship. But various government departments accept it for purposes reserved for citizens or adults. Meanwhile, the question is that if Aadhaar is not a proof of identity and date of birth, then what is its use.

Aadhaar is necessary for subsidy.
It is mandatory to link your bank account with Aadhaar to avail subsidy under various schemes of the government. Apart from this, Aadhaar is required to receive subsidy directly in the bank account under schemes like Atal Pension Yojana, kerosene subsidy, school subsidy, food subsidy etc.

Aadhaar is required for gas connection.
If someone wants to get a new gas connection, he will have to provide his Aadhaar. Not only this, to avail subsidy on the existing gas connection, KYC form will have to be filled and Aadhaar will also have to be linked to the bank account.

For proof of residence,
Aadhaar card contains the residential address of the card holder. In such a situation, you can use Aadhaar card as address proof in government and non-government verification processes. Also, Aadhaar is considered a strong proof of address while applying for home loan, personal loan etc.

These days, Aadhaar has become a prerequisite for opening a bank account . In most banks, Aadhaar card and PAN card are required for opening an applicant's bank account.

For income tax,
the Income Tax Department has made it mandatory for tax payers to link Aadhaar with PAN. In such a situation, Aadhaar is now completely necessary while paying income tax and filing returns.

It is useful for buying a SIM
card. Recently, the Department of Telecommunications has started the facility of Aadhaar based E-KYC, Self KYC and OTP based service switch in KYC reform. Due to this, users now need an Aadhaar card to buy a new SIM card.