When Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship or date of birth, then what is the use of it?
The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which accepted the Aadhaar card to determine the age of a road accident victim for compensation.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Ujjal Bhuiyan 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 have found that the Unique Identification Authority of India, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, in reference to the office memorandum issued on December 20, 2018, has stated that Aadhaar card can 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 reserved purposes 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
The government has made it mandatory to link your bank account with Aadhaar to avail subsidy under different schemes. Apart from this, Aadhaar is required to receive subsidy directly in the bank account under schemes like Atal Pension Scheme, Kerosene Subsidy, School Subsidy, Food Subsidy.
Aadhaar is required for gas connection
If someone wants to get a new gas connection, then he will have to give his Aadhaar. Not only this, to avail subsidy on existing gas connection, KYC form will have to be filled and Aadhaar will also have to be linked to your 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.
To open a bank account
These days Aadhaar has become a prerequisite for opening a bank account. In most banks, Aadhaar card and PAN card are required to open 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 SIM
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 Aadhaar card to buy a new SIM card.
