Telecom operators ditch Aadhaar as valid ID proof

Amit Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 12

The telecom operators in the state have yet again stopped accepting Aadhaar card as a valid identity proof for providing mobile connections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Though the telecom operators had started accepting Aadhaar for mobile connections in 2016, they have again started asking for driving licence, voter card or some other proof of identity from November this year.

Though the state claims that it has registered 90 per cent of its population under Aadhaar, neither the government departments nor the telecom operators consider it a valid proof of identity.

The government departments, which have started biometric attendance on the basis of Aadhaar cards, have never listed it as a proof of identity.

“I think the SIM cards issued on Aadhaar-based verification were more authentic and foolproof as the customer had to come personally to put his finger on the machine to verify his identity. There have been a number of cases in the past where fake IDs were submitted to the operator and SIM cards were recovered from terrorists,” said a senior official of a telecom company on the condition of anonymity. He said except Jammu and Kashmir, Aadhaar was a valid document across the country.

“People from outside the state carry Aadhaar card only as an impression has been made across the country that Aadhaar is required for everything. But we cannot provide them SIM card on their Aadhaar card,” the official said, adding that they have been instructed by the department of telecom on October 26 this year not to accept the Aadhaar card as the proof of identity.

Meanwhile, customers are facing problem in getting connections as many of them do not have driving licence and most of the voter cards have incomplete address on it.

Officials said defence personnel working in the state were affected the most as Aadhaar was no longer being accepted as the proof of identity by the telecom operators. Defence personnel form a large customer base of the telecom operators in Jammu and Kashmir.

Telecom operators said as they could not accept the service card of defence personnel due to security reasons, Aadhaar was the most convenient document available with them.

Four telecom operators — BSNL, Airtel, Vodafone-Idea and Jio — are operating in the state.