A
adhaar was born in
2009, when the Unique
Identification Authority
of India (UIDAI) was
established. At that time, no one
could have imagined that nearly
a decade later it would become a
critical document of identity in our
day-to-day life.
What is Aadhaar?
Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique
identity number issued to an
individual based on biometric and
demographic data. It is covered
under the Aadhaar (Targeted
Delivery of Financial and Other
Subsidies, Benefits and Services)
Act, 2016 (‘The Act’).
and targeted delivery of subsidies,
benefits and services. The govern-
ment had made Aadhaar mandatory
to avail subsidies or benefits under
its various welfare schemes. How-
ever, the honourable Supreme Court
of India, in its interim order, clarified
that governmental benefits cannot
be denied to a resident for not hav-
ing Aadhaar.
Additionally, there are other
issues that are currently pending
before the Court for consideration,
such as pervasive violation of
fundamental rights, integrity of the
process and information. While
the decision would surely come
some day in the near future, the
requirement of obtaining/linking
of Aadhaar with bank accounts,
PAN, mobile numbers and so on
has not been put under abeyance.
The extended deadline of March 31,
2018, is fast approaching and one
really needs to prepare and comply
with this requirement.
Insistence from the government
on Aadhaar is well understood
in light of its efforts to unearth
and curb black money. Linkage
through Aadhaar of your financial
transactions and tax records will
prevent evasion of taxes as tax
authorities can easily identify your
income/expenses and any taxes you
paid. One may say this objectiveSingle Window
For All Aadhaar
Linkages May Help
Even though Aadhaar is in the
eye of a storm over privacy issues,
government is keen to resolve them
Kuldip KumAr
Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Who is eligible?
Every resident in India is entitled to
obtain an Aadhaar ID by undergoing
the process of enrolment. The term
‘resident’ under the Act means an
individual who has resided in India
for 182 days or more during the 12
months immediately preceding the
date of application for enrolment.
This means even foreign nationals
can obtain an Aadhaar ID once they
stay in India for 182 days within a
span of 12 months.is it mandatory?
The Act merely provides as to
who is entitled to obtain Aadhaar;
it does not make it mandatory.
However, various agencies (RBI,
SEBI, tax authorities, DOT etc)
have made it mandatory to quote/
link one’s Aadhaar number, which
in turn makes it compulsory for the
individuals to obtain it. The table
(See: Show your card) shows various
significant transactions where
one is required to quote their
Aadhaar number.Challenges and issues
The key stated objective for Aadhaar
is to empower each resident in India
with a unique identity and a digital
platform to authenticate it anytime,
anywhere. It aims to provide good
governance, efficient, transparent,72 Outlook Money March 2018 http://www.outlookmoney.com