Bhubaneswar: The district Collectors of the state have been asked to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling on the issue of use of Aadhaar-based authentication of beneficiaries for services under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
The Collectors have been asked to take action in their jurisdictions as per the October notification of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on the acceptability of the Aadhaar card verification for opening bank accounts and other banking services.
Several state departments have dispatched the UIDAI notification with an office memorandum and other relevant documents from the Union Cabinet Secretariat to the Collectors to ensure compliance of the orders when it comes to DBT. The UIDAI notification enlists a number of measures the banks need to take for using Aadhaar.
The UIDAI circular forwarded to the states reads, “…there is no bar on the banks to perform Aadhaar-based authentication using e-KYC for opening bank accounts of the client who gives a declaration that s/he is desirous of receiving her/his entitled benefits or subsidies of welfare schemes funded from the Consolidated Fund of lndia in her/his account directly. Banks may therefore use Aadhaar e-KYC for such clients.”
The circular clarifies that those who are not desirous to avail government subsidies do not need e-KYC Aadhaar authentication from banks. The circular said, “For clients who are not beneficiaries of the aforesaid welfare schemes…banks cannot use Aadhaar e-KYC authentication for opening bank accounts etc. However, they are not prohibited from accepting physical Aadhaar card/e-Aadhaar card/Masked Aadhaar/Offline Electronic Aadhaar xml (if offered voluntarily by the client) for the purpose of opening bank accounts in such cases and verifying the authenticity through QR code etc.”
The UIDAI circular also reiterated that the Scheduled Commercial Banks must provide Aadhaar enrollment and update facilities for its customers. The circular said, “Since banks will be using facility of Aadhaar e-KYC for the purpose of opening bank accounts and withdrawal of money…it will be mandatory for the banks to provide – Aadhaar enrolment facilities…Therefore, it is hereby reiterated that the UIDAI’s Circular dated 14 July, 2017 which requires every Scheduled Commercial Bank to provide Aadhaar enrolment and update facilities to its customers shall continue to operate.”
