Govt says no threat of discontinuation of mobile numbers issued using Aadhaar

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 18

Scotching rumours that also appeared in a section of the media, the Unique Identification Authority of India on Thursday said there was no threat of discontinuation of mobile SIM cards issued using Aadhaar, something feared after the Supreme Court barred use of the ID by private companies.

Debunking the claim that over 50 crore, or half of the mobile SIMs in the country, faced deactivation, the UIDAI and the Department of Telecommunication (DoT), in a joint statement, said mobile phone users could, at their will, change Aadhaar-based authentication by submitting an alternate identity proof. The SIM card would not be deactivated in the ID transition process, it said.

“The Supreme Court in its judgment in the Aadhaar case has nowhere directed that the mobile number which has been issued through Aadhaar e-KYC has to be disconnected,” it said.

The apex court had asked the UIDAI not to keep authentication log for more than six months, it said. “The restriction of not keeping authentication log beyond six months is on the UIDAI, and not on telecom companies. Therefore, there is no need for telecom companies or AUAs/JUAs to delete authentication logs,” the statement read.

The UIDAI and the DoT are also in the process of bringing out a hassle-free digital system for issuing new SIM cards through a mobile app.

The new system, the statement read, would fully comply with the Supreme Court judgment. “In the proposed process, live photograph of a person with latitude, longitude and time stamp will be captured. A copy of ID such as Aadhaar and voter cards will be captured. The SIM card agent will be authenticated through OTP and a SIM card will be issued,” it said.