But now, the decks are cleared. All telecom operators have informed the Govt. that they are now ready with the infrastructure for linking mobile number of users with Aadhaar, and starting January 1st, any mobile user would be able to link their Aadhaar with their SIM, using a single OTP. Hence, no more mandatory visits to the retail outlets of telecom companies for performing this task, and no more hassles. However, considering that February 26th is the last date for this process, will Indian citizens have enough enough time to link their mobile with Aadhaar? And, why has this delay happened? We will soon find out..
OTP Based Aadhaar-Mobile Linking: How It Works? The process is very simple, and we must appreciate the telecom operators and UIDAI for making this process really easy. This is how it will work:
-Step 1: Telecom users will be required to call a number, which will be heavily advertized by all telecom operators, all across the India. It seems that different telecom operators will have different toll-free numbers where their users can call and start the process of Aadhaar re-verification. But earlier, UIDAI had informed that there will be a single number for the process. We will update this section when we get more clarity.
-Step 2: The toll-free number shall be an Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS), where the user will be informed about the process in English, Hindi and other major regional languages.
-Step 3: The IVRS will ask for a consent from the user, and when YES would be pressed, the user will receive an OTP. -
Step 4: As soon as the OTP is confirmed, the mobile number shall be linked with Aadhaar, and the re-verification process would be successfully completed.
But.. Why This Delay? This easy, smooth OTP based Aadhaar re-verification was announced by Govt. in the month of October, when it was said that starting November 15th, users would be able to use this. However, later it was postponed to December 1st, and now, January 1st is the final roll-out date. This unnecessary delay of 1.5 months is something which is really interesting, considering that both telecom operators and Govt. were on the same page on this issue. And, the blame game has already started. COAI, which is an influential lobby of telecom operators have blamed UIDAI for the delay, but UIDAI has refused to accept the blame. It seems there was some confusion regarding the Customer Acquisition Form (CAF), which was earlier supposed to be filled by the user before OTP based re-verification process started. But now, there is no mention of this step.
COAI in a statement said, “This (announcement of November 15th launch) was done even though the telecom department, UIDAI and the (telecom) industry were still under discussions on the OTP-based process… the telecom companies have in the past represented to UIDAI that in order to implement the OTP-based process, the present Customer Acquisition Form (CAF) would be required to be modified.” One of the UIDAI official has claimed that “it was rather the mobile companies that had been dilly-dallying”. Now, the question is, whether 1 month and 25 days are enough for almost 30 crore users who have still not linked their Aadhaar with mobile number? We will soon find out!
Before We End, A Word Of Caution OTP based scams are happening a lot these days, as the scamster leaves no stone unturned to confuse and cajole the end-user to share their OTP. Hence, for OTP based Aadhaar re-verification, only rely on the official number shared by your telecom operator, and NEVER, under any circumstances, reveal your OTP to any person. This OTP based process is fully automatic, and there shall be living person involved.
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