Aadhaar Card not necessary to get mobile SIM

Aadhaar Card not necessary to get mobile SIM. The Government of India on Wednesday 02nd May 2018 clarified that consumers can get SIM cards by providing alternative identification documents such as driving license, passport, and voter ID card even without submitting Aadhaar, the 12-digit identification number issued by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

Highlights:

Mobile companies have been required to follow the instructions “immediately” so that consumers not inconvenienced.

Mobile companies had been insisting on verification through Aadhaar, based on earlier instructions given by the telecom department.

The Aadhaar issue had not only impacted residents, but even NRIs and foreigners visiting the country.

The announcement comes as a much-needed relief after service providers mandated Aadhaar ID for getting new SIM connection based on orders from the government.

Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), said the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) notification talked about re-verification of mobile numbers by using e-KYC process, and the Telegraph Act gave “exclusive power to the central government to decide license conditions” of service providers.

The Center has directed telecom companies to accept alternative documents like driving license, passport, and voter ID card for identity verification. TOI reports that telecom secretary Aruna Sundarajan has asked operators to follow the new directive so that consumers no longer pestered. But whether this stops telecoms from calling and messaging on linking Aadhaar is something that we will have to wait and see.

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