As the privacy issue concerning Aadhaar Card is being heard in the Supreme Court, Govt. yesterday cleared several misconceptions related to the usage and implementation of Aadhaar cards.Clearing confusion, Govt. has clarified that Aadhaar is needed for death certificates, but it is not mandatory as of now.
Besides, Govt. has also cleared that as of now, Aadhaar is not compulsory for issuing railway tickets.
Were these statements issued just because the privacy factor is being heard in the apex court? Or does the Govt. want to water-down the after-effects of Aadhaar in our daily lives and death?
Aadhaar Needed For Death Certificate, But Not Mandatory
Yesterday, a sort of confusion hit the masses when the Registrar General India (RGI) issued a statement regarding Aadhaar for getting death certificates. As per the statement, if anyone wants to issue death certificate after October 1st, then Aadhaar is a must.
This is what the statement said: “An Applicant applying for death certificate is required to provide Aadhaar number or Enrolment ID Number (EID) of the deceased and other details as sought in the application for death certificate for the purpose of establishing the identity of the deceased..”
The statement also said, “The Aadhaar number will be required for the purpose of establishing the identity of the deceased for the purpose of death registration with effect from October 1,”
People started questioning the logic of this statement, as some thought that Govt. is trying too hard to push Aadhaar – not even in our present lives, but even after that.
Some questioned that what if the deceased person had no Aadhaar? Will his/her death be invalid?
Later, clearing the confusion, Govt. issued a statement saying that Aadhaar is needed, but is not compulsory. In case Aadhaar is not available, then the dependents of that person can issue a statement saying, ‘deceased person did not possess Aadhaar number to the best of their knowledge.’
However, giving false or incorrect information is still a crime, when it comes to Aadhaar.
The statement said, “Any false declaration given by the applicant in this regard will be treated as an offence as per the provisions of the Aadhaar Act, 2016 and also Registration of Birth and Death Act, 1969,”
Interestingly, an unnamed, cold war was brewing between RGI and UIDAI, on the issue of Aadhaar for birth and death certificates. The recent confusion related to Aadhaar for death certificates is a proof of this cold war.
Aadhaar Not Mandatory For Railway Tickets
Meanwhile, replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain has clarified that as of now, Aadhaar is not mandatory for issuing railway tickets.
However, he said that in order to avail senior citizen concession, Aadhaar is required on a voluntary basis, effective January 1, 2017.
He said, “At present, there is no proposal to make the Aadhaar number compulsory for booking tickets for rail journey. However, with effect from January 1, 2017, the requirement of Aadhaar verification for getting concessional railway tickets for senior citizens has been introduced on a voluntary basis,”
This clears several doubts related to Aadhaar and Railway Tickets, as rumors were floating that Govt. may soon make Aadhaar a mandatory requirement for issuing railway tickets.
We will keep you updated as we receive more information related to Aadhaar.
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